Paper Fans and Cherry Blossoms
by the manliest man
Summary: He is a nobleman; she is a geisha. Conspiracies are inevitable, especially when love is involved.
1. Meetings

**Chapter One: Meetings**

Sasuke Uchiha looked with extreme distaste at the group of drunk men sullying his view of the Leaf Village's Shrine. It was the only place in the entire village that wasn't full of drunk men and giggling prostitutes, looking for another prey to reap money out of. More than once had he been approached by these women, with blushing faces and misleading smiles, and been told about the services that they offer. And more than once had he told them off and rejected them. Most of them would then turn away with pouts gracing their features, but there were bold ones who then informed him that they would lower the price rate for him.

Of course, the answer was still no. If the prostitute insisted on him, he himself would then turn and leave. He had no time for such blasphemous activities. He had always believed that those things were supposed to be done by two people whose hearts have melted as one. But all those drunk bastards were just looking for entertainment, and something to drown those lustful urges from within them. Sasuke wasn't pleased with people who behave in such an improper manner, and as a member of the honourable Uchiha family, he wasn't about to go and ruin his reputation by mingling with such improper people. So he left his Sake bottle by the bench and stood up to leave.

The shops and teahouses all over the village were brimming with excitement. Bright lights and music from string instruments and drums drifted in and out of the air. Sasuke scoffed and turned away. The fact that a lot of people have so much time for those ridiculous affairs proved just how low the world has sunk. Sasuke sneered at the thought of his fellow men giving into the bait of those horrible women with the overly thick makeup and the suggestive kimonos. Ever since he learned of all these horrible activities, he always did his best to stay on top of the world and made a vow to himself to never associate with people like prostitutes and their clients.

Sasuke reached a place a bit darker than the lively areas of town. There were mostly houses, but they were all locked with the windows brought down. The residents were most probably asleep or dancing the night away at the local teahouses, which pretty much explain why only the residencial part of the village was quiet. It was also dark. It was quite dangerous for someone to walk around here alone, but that thought should be reserved for women or for some other men. Because nobody in the Hidden Leaf Village, or in the Land of Fire for that matter, would dare show a pinch of ill behaviour towards a member of the Uchiha.

Sasuke continued on his way, enjoying the cool, evening air and the serene stillness of the atmosphere and the soft sounds of the waves from the nearby river. Things were going along quite pleasantly until he heard voiced a few meters away from him. Sasuke squinted in the darkness and saw a group of people crowding around something…or someone. When he finally got near enough, he saw that they were crowding around a young girl.

"I already said that we'd pay you, okay?" One man said, a hint of impatience in his voice.

"And I've already said that I am not for sale," The girl replied, her voice gentle and high like windchimes, but they came across strongly. There wasn't a hint of fear or hesitation in it.

"Not for sale?" One man scoffed, "You have to be joking. One look at you and your clothes and one would immediately know that you are a prostitute,"

"I am different, okay?" The girl insisted with anger lacing her voice. "I am a Geisha! Not a prostitute! Get it through that thick head of yours before I drive it straight into a ditch!"

"Why, what an ill-mannered lady!" The same man from before sneered as he stared at the girl in front of him who stood stiffly and strongly, as if taking root of the whole situation.

Sasuke peered in closer. He could only see as much as the outline of the girl's face, but he could see what she was wearing under the bright moonlight. She was wearing a bright pink kimono with swirls of brown stitches and white and pink specks that seemed to emulate a cherry blossom tree in full bloom. Tied behind her back was a dark red obi with yellow petal prints. Her hair was done up elaborately in a classy bun with two lotus hair ornaments. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. The girl was telling the truth. She was a Geisha. No prostitute would have the money or luxury to buy such an expensive kimono. If she wasn't a Geisha or someone of high standing, even one of those lotus hair ornaments would cost too much.

The men kept on pressuring the girl, "Don't tell us you're not for sale when you're wearing a prostitute's getup!"

The girl slapped the man's hand away when he attempted to place it on her shoulder, "Listen you lowlife! Prostitutes tie their obi in front! And, as you can see, my obi is currently tied behind my back! Or are you blind?"

"For a girl who sells herself to men…you sure do talk with a lot of spunk!" The man looked angry now. The girl knew this but didn't seem to have any plan to back off. Instead, she stood her ground and gave him the coldest stare she could muster.

Sasuke was impressed. The men looked like they were made of money. They were definitely nobles, and he was sure that the girl knew it too. He found it astonishing that she would decline an offer of money despite her job. Her courage impressed him, too, so while normally, he would leave someone in trouble alone, this time, he decided to help her. Sasuke strode out of the shadows and stepped into the light. The men all turned to him. The girl glowered, "Now what do you want?"

To her surprise, all of the men who were threatening her earlier bowed down until their foreheads touched the dirt. They all fell like hapless kittens to this new stranger's feet. She had the urge to bow down, too, but stood her ground and showed no signs of respect, assuming that he was the boss of those horrible men.

Sasuke looked at the men, then turned to her, "Darling, have they been troubling you?"

The girl's eyes widened and her mouth fell open slightly. Sasuke noticed this and resisted the urge to smirk. Now that he got a closer look at her, he realized why those men were bent on buying her. She was slim and petite with just the right height. Her hair was pink and shone like silk under the gentle moonlight. Her eyes were a vibrant green and now they stared at him with confusion. He expected her to give him a witty comeback, but she just stood there, her pretty face clouded with confusion.

"Darling, are you alright?" Sasuke asked, putting on his best worried face and spoke in the gentlest voice he could muster. "Have they done anything to you? Are you hurt in any way?"

"N-No, Uchiha-sama!" One of the men said, his voice trembling, "We haven't done anything to her! Me and my fellow men here mistook her for a…a…a prostitute! Forgive us, we didn't do anything wrong."

"And if I didn't arrive on time?" Sasuke questioned, his voice cold once more. "What could you have done to her if I didn't arrive?"

The men couldn't speak and they avoided his eyes by staring straight to the ground. Before Sasuke could do anything, the girl spoke, "No, Darling…I'm fine."

Sasuke turned to her, surprise in his eyes. He didn't expect the girl to catch up on the plan immediately. Her face held no signs of lies. Her voice sounded genuine as if she were really his lover. He came closer to her and put a hand around her shoulder. "That's good. I was worried for a moment when you didn't show up in front of the shrine. I thought something happened," he turned to the men who were trembling slightly, "and it seems that I was right,"

"Uchiha-sama!" One of the men said, "Forgive us. We did not know that she was your lady! We assumed that she was a Geisha but—"

"A Geisha?" Sasuke feigned anger, "You dare associate my wife with such an immoral job?"

He felt the girl flinch beside him. He turned slightly so that his face was directly in front of her ear, and whispered, "This is all a part of the act. Don't worry, I don't mean it."

Sasuke turned back to the men who were still on the ground. And to seal the act, he turned to his 'wife' once more, "Darling, what kind of punishment would you like me to present to these men? Just say what you feel is appropriate and I will have it done."

The men trembled beneath their feet, but the girl's reply was simple, "Just let them go. The more we pay attention to them, the more we sink to their level,"

He turned to the men and glared, "Leave and make sure you don't do this again to her or to anyone else. Understood?"

"Y-Yes!" They all stood up shakily and gave short bows, "Thank you, Uchiha-sama," then much to the girl's surprise, they also turned to her and gave her a much deeper bow, "Thank you Lady Uchiha," then they all scurried away like sewer rats eager to escape a cat on the prowl.

Sasuke removed his hand from her shoulder. "Well that was hilarious,"

The girl turned to him and laughed, "Yeah they really bought that ridiculous act!" Her green eyes sparkled mischievously, "Thanks, by the way."

"You don't need to say thank you. I would have done it to anyone who was in trouble," Sasuke told her.

"Still, your help was appreciated," The girl said, smiling. She held out a slender hand, "My name is Sakura. Haruno Sakura."

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke," he replied, taking her hand and shaking it.

"No wonder those bastards treated you like a god," Sakura laughed, then she tilted her head curiously, "If I may ask, why did you bother to pretend to be my lover when you could have just told them to back off…seeing that you're really a respected man here…"

"Not to offend you," Sasuke replied, "But I did that because I don't want anyone to know that an Uchiha is associated with a Geisha. No offense,"

"None taken," Sakura nodded, "In fact, I hate my job too,"

"Then why don't you quit?"

Sakura shrugged, "I'd have no money then. This is my only source of income….if it isn't for this job, I would be out in the streets as a street rat,"

"I see," Sasuke muttered. He looked around before his gaze fell on her again, "If I may ask…what's the real difference between a prostitute and a Geisha?"

"Geisha are artists," Sakura replied breezily, "We're specially trained to entertain people with dance, music, and all other forms of art. Prostitutes, on the other hand, sell their bodies to men. As you can see, there's a huge gap between us."

"But I've heard that some Geisha are being paid to sleep with men…"

Sakura scoffed, "Yes, some Geisha are like that. There are instances wherein some men aren't contented with plain entertainment. Sometimes they want something beyond that….and they usually pay a Geisha they fancy to sleep with them. But of course, we are supposed to say no. Geisha aren't trained for those immoral acts…we're trained for art. Only the most immoral Geisha allow themselves to be bought."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "And you?"

"Of course not," Sakura scoffed indignantly, "I may be cynical and rude but I am not immoral."

Sasuke nodded, then looked elsewhere. The moon was certainly bright and perfectly round and it seemed much brighter than before. The night was unusually silent. Even the crickets weren't making noises. The soft rustling of the chilly autumn air and the gentle waves from a nearby river were the only sounds in the area. Sasuke looked at the young lady in front of him again. She was staring down at her wooden sandals, cheeks puffed with eyes narrowed. He found her expression amusing, so he asked, "What are you doing?"

"Waiting for you to say something," she shrugged.

"What else is there to say?"

"Well…" Sakura began, "You saved me, didn't you? I ought to know what you want in exchange. I'll give you something to repay my debt…but I'm afraid the best I can give you would be to sing a song to you without charge…"

"Sounds wonderful," Sasuke stopped a looked around. "But should you be getting back by now? You could get assaulted again,"

"Actually, I was going back home," Sakura replied. "I was on my way back to our okiya, but then those men assaulted me."

Okiya. The term was familiar to him. Apparently, it was a huge house where Geisha live and do their training. It was a like a huge apartment where only Geisha stay. He turned to Sakura and gave her an offer, "I'll walk you back to your okiya, then. I haven't much to do anyway,"

Sakura seemed surprised, but she smiled warmly anyway, "Thanks,"

* * *

Sakura sat on the floor with her hands on her left cheek. It was red and was throbbing painfully. In front of her stood a young woman who was about three years older than her. She was the leader of the okiya and was therefore in charge of all the Geisha that lived there. Hanaoki, the head Geisha, was cruel and strict to everybody, most especially to Sakura. She was never fond of the young pink-haired girl especially after she found out that Sakura shared a close friendship with a young man named Sai. Hanaoki happened to be in love with Sai, and saw Sakura as an obstacle between them.

She was now pacing around the room, holding a cigar on one hand. She held it to her lips and blew out a thick puff of smoke, "So…Cherry Blossom Girl…kindly explain what you were doing outside the okiya with a man?"

"His name was Sasuke Uchiha," Sakura informed her, "And he offered to walk me home,"

"Liar!" Hanaoki sneered and slapped the pink haired girl again. Sakura stumbled back but never said anything. She held her hand against her cheek and stayed silent. The fact that she knew that she could flatten Hanaoki's perfect little face so easily tempted Sakura to completely rearrange her face…but then that would surely get her kicked out of the okiya.

Sakura was saved when another Geisha peeped in and said, "Lady Hanaoki…Sakura-san has a visitor,"

"Oh, she has?" Hanaoki's eyes narrowed as she turned to face Sakura, "If it's that man who walked you here, you'll know what I will do to you afterwards,"

"It's not a man," The Geisha at the door answered, "Its Yamanaka-sama's daughter,"

Sakura brightened up. _It's Ino!_

Hanaoki's expression smoothened after this. "Lady Yamanaka? Then that's fine. Let her in and prepare some tea."

The Geisha was about to leave when Sakura stopped her and said, "Oh…make sure it's chamomile tea with lots of honey. Ino doesn't fair well with sugar,"

"Sure," The Geisha smiled and left.

Hanaoki smoothed her hair and adjusted the rose hair ornament on her bun. Sakura sat there, waiting for her permission to leave and see Ino. Finally, Hanaoki looked at her and said, "Alright, go downstairs and see and your friend. And stay out of my sight for tonight,"

Sakura bowed and left. She shut the door before letting out a frustrated sigh. She stuck her tongue out and made a face. Hanaoki was a bastard. Sakura had no idea how the hell she survived inside the okiya for seven years with that beast watching her every move like a hawk. Fortunately, the few friends she had made her life in the okiya much more tolerable than it should have been. Sakura smoothed her hair and adjusted the lotus ornaments on her hair. She fixed her slightly rumpled kimono and obi, for it had flattened slightly when she felt to the ground after Hanaoki slapped her.

Stopping in front of a long mirror down the hallway, she checked her appearance, and after a few more tweaks, she made her way down the carpeted staircase and saw a blond girl sipping tea while sitting on a posh sofa.

Ino Yamanaka could not have been more beautiful. Her hair was long and blond and was tied up on a flowing ponytail down her back. It was adorned with three wolfsbane flower ornaments. Wolfsbane were poisonous, but they were very pretty flowers. They were very much like Ino. Beautiful but with hidden deadliness. She was wearing a bright purple kimono and a corn-yellow obi. On her kimono were prints of different houses and trees, which Sakura later recognized as a small version of the entire Hidden Leaf Village. Ino's crystal blue eyes sparkled when she saw Sakura.

"Sakura! Hi!" She patted the space beside her, signalling for Sakura to sit there.

Sakura sat down and offered Ino a smile. If there was one thing she enjoyed the most, it would be Ino's occasional visits. It was the only time she felt far from what she was…like what her life would have been if she had a choice other than to be a Geisha. Ino leaned forward and picked something from the table. It was a beautiful flower arrangement with assorted flowers. There were bright red roses and small cosmos flowers and large blooming camellas. "This is for you," Ino told her, smiling brightly.

Sakura looked at it, eyes suddenly a bit watery, "Thanks, Ino…"

"…What's wrong?" Ino asked, noticing her moist eyes…and suddenly seeing the bright red mark on her cheek. "Did someone…hit you?"

"No," Sakura laughed with tears flowing down her face, so it was pretty difficult to see if she was crying or laughing, "I fell down and hit my cheek against a stone. It was painful,"

"Didn't those years of Geisha training change you from the klutz you used to be?" Ino asked teasingly.

Sakura laughed, "I guess not,"

Silence engulfed them. Ino sipped on her tea while Sakura fiddled with the ends of her dress. Ino was the first one to break the silence, "So," she began, putting her empty teacup back to the table, "Anything interesting happened tonight?"

I small smile made its way to Sakura's face, "Well…"

Ino peered closer with a sly grin, "Well..?"

"I met a boy," Sakura said, blushing slightly.

Ino looked confused, "A boy? But you entertain a lot of men everyday…how can it possibly be—"

"Interesting? Oh you wouldn't know," Sakura grinned, "But if only you saw how he saved me when a bunch of bastards tried to harass me and called me darling and walked me back to the okiya—"

"Wait, wait, back up!" Ino grabbed her shoulders, "You were assaulted and he saved you and he walked you back to the okiya?"

Sakura nodded.

Ino squealed, "My god! Was he…handsome…?"

Sakura leaned closer, "I know you won't believe me but….believe me! He's even more good-looking than Sai!"

"You're kidding!" Ino's blue eyes were wide.

"I'm not!" Sakura laughed.

"What was his name?" Ino inquired.

"Uchiha Sasuke," Sakura replied.

"Uchiha?" This time, Ino's eyes were nearly bulging out from their sockets, "An Uchiha…walked you home?"

"Yes!" Sakura squealed.

Ino squealed too, but suddenly, her face grew serious and her voice lowered into a whisper, "Sakura…did he know that you were a Geisha?"

"Yes," Sakura replied, her excitement fading. All of a sudden, reality hit her like a pile of bricks. What was she doing getting all giddy and happy? He was a man! A dignified man! And what was she? A Geisha. She was bound to the okiya in both body and mind, and there were a lot of rules. Having a lover was the greatest offense. Her job was to entertain men and flirt and make them feel loved. Certainly no one would want her or be interested in her companionship if she had a lover. It took only a few seconds before she realized that clearly, their instances were so different and this made it impossible for them to become closer.

"Not to ruin the moment," Ino began, "But…won't you get into trouble for this?"

Sakura laughed, "Ino it's no big deal! It's just natural for me to get excited after meeting a handsome boy. It's not like it'll turn into something more. Relax!" She smiled like it was no big deal but she felt as if a sharp blade was lodged in her throat.

_I'm not doing anything wrong,_Sakura thought. _This is just a little infatuation…what could happen?_

Sad to say, a _lot_could happen. But this is only the beginning.

* * *

**My first fanfic.**

**This story was inspired from the book entitled "Memoirs of a Geisha" that was written by a guy named Arthur whats-his-name…(sorry, forgot his last name), and of course, NARUTO AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO MASASHI KISHIMOTO. I simply wrote this thing out of pure boredom…**

**And HANAOKI is a character I made myself just to, you know, add something original to the story…**

**THAT'S ALL, THANKS FOR READING AND PLEASE REVIEW! ^_^**


	2. Ai no Yuurei

**Chapter Two: Ai no Yuurei**

Most breakfasts weren't particularly dreadful, but this morning, Sasuke found himself facing the guy his nightmares were mostly made of. Fugaku Uchiha. His father. He was the leader of the Uchiha family and practically owns every yard of land that's signed under the Uchiha name. Basically, he was a man of utmost power, but this was not why Sasuke feared him. To put it simply…Fugaku was a strict father. Rather he has hardly been a father. To Sasuke, he was just a man with a strange jaw and an ever frowning face, looking down at him with the most disapproving and stern expression, telling him that it wasn't enough. That what he was capable of wasn't enough.

Sasuke hated the way his own father looked down on him. And he hated him even more at times that Fugaku compares him to Itachi Uchiha. His older brother. Like what he's doing now.

"Itachi learned how to do that at age six," Fugaku spoke, not bothering to look at his son who was busy glaring angrily at his plate of fresh peaches. "I am quite disappointed, Sasuke," he droned on. "I was expecting more from you. You're easily one of….the ungifted members of the Uchiha,"

"As if you're any better," Sasuke grumbled under his breath.

"Sasuke," Mikoto said, giving him a stern look. Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his onyx eyes. Even his mother was agreeing to Fugaku. They both thought his was ungifted. This angered him more, and so he started picking at his plate of peaches, leaving small holes here and there.

"I will teach Sasuke," Itachi spoke up for the first time. "He's just a bit behind because the instructors nowadays aren't doing too well with their teaching. Back in my days, the instructors were extremely talented. Maybe that's why Sasuke is lagging behind a bit."

Sasuke shot his brother a pleased look. _Always the life saver._"Thanks, Ni-san,"

Itachi smiled, nodded, and went back to his breakfast. Fugaku eyed the two, and also turned his attention back to his meal. Mikoto smiled briefly before reaching out to pinch Itachi's cheeks. The eldest Uchiha sibling looked up, surprised.

Mikoto laughed, "Don't look so surprised. I always used to do that when you were a kid,"

Sasuke smirked, "I'm sure that _little_Itachi likes it,"

Mikoto laughed and reached out to do the same to Sasuke. "Don't you think that you're getting away from this,"

Itachi laughed lightly, "You're forgetting that you're the real kid here, Sasuke,"

"I'm seventeen," Sasuke frowned.

"And soon you're going to have a family of your own and you will leave me here with your monotonous and dreadfully boring dad," Mikoto feigned sadness, trying to stifle her laughter at the sight of Fugaku's annoyed face. "I dread that moment, Sasuke,"

"You'll manage," Sasuke smirked.

This was how he wanted his usual mornings to be. Light hearted and enjoyable…but that won't be much of a possibility with his dad around. He agreed completely that Itachi was the better son, but he still hated it when Fugaku compares them both. Partly because it was annoying, and partly because he knew it was true and nothing else could make him feel so bad. Fugaku broke the silence with a single sentence.

"Sasuke, I heard from someone that you were walking around with a young woman last night," He said calmly not bothering to look up as he spoke up.

Sasuke nodded slightly, "Yes, that's true. I _was_with a girl last night,"

Mikoto looked unbothered, "Who was it, dear?"

"Her name is Sakura," Sasuke replied smoothly. "I just met her last night,"

"A new friend?" Itachi asked, not really curious.

"Not really," Sasuke shrugged indifferently, "I just met her and I don't think we'll be seeing each other again, anyway. So no, she's not my friend, but it was nice meeting her,"

"Oh, don't talk that way," Mikoto admonished lightly, "I'm sure that she was a nice young lady."

"She's a Geisha," Sasuke finally said.

The silence that followed was abnormally long. Fugaku stopped eating and simply looked down at his meal. Mikoto was staring at him, eyes wide with hands still clutching her chopsticks. Itachi was staring at him calmly but with a hint of surprise in his eyes. Sasuke spoke up quickly before the silence went on, "She was being harassed by some of our fellow nobles," he informed them. "I had to help her, as a man from the Uchiha would. Surely you understand,"

Fugaku cleared his throat, "Well, yes, that was quite a nice thing to do." Then he went back to his fresh peaches without saying another word.

"Oh…" Mikoto trailed off and then laughed lightly, "That's my Sasuke. Always a gentleman,"

"What was she like?" Itachi asked, and this time, he actually sounded like he wanted to know.

Sasuke replied almost immediately, "She was nice…and probably smart, too, if she wasn't so annoying,"

"She sounds like a fun person," Itachi smiled gently. "If I were you, I'd find a way to meet her again."

"You can do it yourself," Sasuke muttered, finally starting to eat the peaches that were reduced to one heap of mush on his plate because of all the poking he did.

"Maybe I will," Itachi replied with a slight smirk, "What's her last name?"

Sasuke looked up, "You can't be serious,"

"I am," Itachi replied coolly, "Now, where were we? Oh, what's her last name?"

Sasuke hesitated. Was it really okay to give away her information like this? Then he realized it wasn't much of his business after all. She wasn't even a friend, and she might even be grateful for having another customer to please. "Haruno," he finally said, "Her last name is Haruno,"

Sasuke left the house early that day, looking for someplace else to stay. With his father around, he doubted that he could ever keep his peace. He strolled around, passing by a river, he bent down to pick up a pebble and he tossed it into the clear water, watching it form ripples until it sank down to the river bed. He thought over what he said during breakfast. How he had simply revealed Sakura's personal information to his brother. How he used her job as a way of undermining his way out of trouble. How he rejected the idea of them being friends. A small lump started to form at the back of his throat.

Guilt. That's what it was. He always hated people who talked dirt about other people behind their backs. But what he was he doing just now? He was doing something directly synonymous to the word 'backstabbing'. And worse, he did it to someone he barely even knew, without even trying to get to know her. He felt just like his father. And that was one person he knew he never wanted to be like.

Right now, he wanted to cross the other side of the village and visit the only person who would ever understand him, and still have the guts to call him a jerk. A certain blond haired, blue eyed idiot who never knew when to stop talking…but he was still his bestfriend anyway.

"Uchiha-sama,"

He turned and seemed a little surprised when he saw the person standing a few meters behind him. Right beneath a large flowering cherry blossom tree was Sakura. She was wearing a much simpler kimono and obi than the one she wore last night. Her hair was tied up in a simple low ponytail without any adornment. Despite her simple clothes, her beauty was unscathed.

"Haruno-san," he nodded. "Nice meeting you again,"

Sakura scoffed, "Haruno-san sounds weird. Just call me Sakura,"

"Then do the same to me," Sasuke replied in an indifferent tone.

"You want me to call you Sakura?" Sakura asked playfully.

"You know what I mean," Sasuke narrowed his eyebrows, "Just call me Sasuke,"

"Alright, Sasuke-kun,"

"I said just call me Sasuke,"

"I heard you the first time, Sasuke-kun,"

Sasuke just sighed and turned to walk away. Sakura moved closer to him and farther away from the tree. She jogged a bit to catch up to him, "Hey, you know I was kidding!" she grinned and he looked over his shoulder to see her expression. There was a goofy smile on her face. He sighed and continued walking, "You're annoying,"

"Oh, I get that all the time!" she chirped happily, seemingly unaware of his growing annoyance, "In fact, I get it so often, I don't even care!"she continued then proceeded to laugh.

He didn't stop, and she continued on walking beside him, oblivious to his inner turmoil. She also continued talking, "You know, it's getting rather chilly these days. Spring is about to end but there seems to be no sign of summer at all. But that's a good thing too, cause if those heavy kimonos won't kill me, then the heat will,"

Sasuke continued on, trying to drown out her tinkling voice.

"You see, Sasuke-kun, I may not look like it, but I actually find those heavy kimonos annoying and hard to move around with. It's a good thing I get to wear these simple kimonos during the day. They're thin and lighter and they're really much easier to walk around with…and of course, without the heavy obi strapped around my back, I can probably run faster than you can!"

He spun around to face her, "Don't you ever get tired of talking?"

"Not really," she shrugged.

"Then find someone else to throw all your problems to," Sasuke sneered. "Because I don't care, and even if I did, I still wouldn't want to listen to them anyway, cause you're so annoying!"

He turned and left her without looking back. A few yards away, he noticed that he was no longer hearing her footsteps. A lump formed in his throat. She left. Sakura left. Because he shooed her away. And something inside him was telling him that she only needed someone to talk to. And he was probably one of the very few people she could consider a friend.

He turned back, "Sakura,wait, I—"

He blinked. Sakura was standing just a few yards away from him. She was walking beside him all along.

"You were…walking with me all along?"

Sakura nodded. "Well, yes, but you said you wanted some silence so I stopped talking. Why, is something the matter?"

_I thought you were hurt because of what I said,_He wanted to say, but he said something else instead. "I was just wondering why it became so quiet all of a sudden. I thought you left because you were no longer chattering beside me like some sort of magpie,"

Sakura frowned, "Hey! I prefer being compared to a talking canary,"

He turned away to hide a smirk and continued walking. Sakura was right beside him, and she started talking again. He made it a point to reply to her and make comments and remarks about what she was saying. He realized that half of what she was saying was actually interesting, and she reminded him of another chatterbox whom he had close ties to. Naruto Uzumaki was the living example of a person who couldn't ever shut up…and he was his bestfriend, so there was really no reason for him to not be friends with Sakura.

"Hey, are you listening to me?" Sakura snapped him back to reality.

"Hn," he replied without much thought.

Sakura frowned, "Okay, fine, then it's your turn to start a topic!"

He didn't really know what to talk about. He has always been the silent type, and he often left all the talking to Naruto. Starting a conversation was quite new to him, so he asked her the first thing that came inside his mind.

"Who's your bestfriend?"

Sakura didn't need to think to know the answer. "Ino. Yamanaka Ino," she replied.

"Yamanaka Inoichi-san's daughter?" Sasuke asked, surprised.

"Yeah…" Sakura nodded, "We've known each other since forever…"

"I see…"

"How about you?" Sakura inquired, "Who's your bestfriend?"

Sasuke smirked, finding it funny that he knew the answer almost immediately, "Naruto Uzumaki. You might not know him because he's not really someone special."

"But he must be special if he's your bestfriend," Sakura said, smiling brightly. She looked down at the dusty pavement and her eyes lit up, "I don't even need to think in order to know that she's my bestfriend. Ino's…someone very special to me. If it weren't for her...I don't know how I would have even got here…"

"Same here," Sasuke sighed, "I hate to admit it, but without that idiot, I'd really have my hands full. He's been helping me with everything, and even though he mostly gets it wrong, I'm still pretty much grateful,"

There was a long silence.

Finally, Sakura spoke up.

"How about a lover?" she asked casually, "Do you have one?"

"No," Sasuke replied, finding the question strange. "I don't have one…at least not yet. But I guess I have no interest in finding one. I mean, I'm bound to find someone since marrying is mandatory in my family, but I guess it's going to be someone my parents arrange for me,"

"Don't you feel that's just wrong?" Sakura asked, "Marriage is for two people who love each other. Such a sacred ceremony shouldn't be taken for granted,"

"I don't have a choice," Sasuke sighed, actually feeling sorry for himself.

The conversation went on, shifting from one topic to another. Sasuke found himself enjoying her company, and he actually found most of the stuff she talked about interesting. Unlike most women he knew, she actually talked about stuff that made sense, and not just some mindless chatter in order to impress him. It was like being with Naruto…only that he felt less enraged and more intrigued. The longer the time they spent together, the more he became aware that this girl might actually be intelligent right under her annoying exterior.

"We're near the okiya," Sakura told him. "I've got to go. The okiya mistress flips out whenever one of us brings back a boy,"

"Then I'll be leaving," Sasuke nodded, and turned to another direction. When he reached quite a distance, he turned and saw Sakura still waving, smiling brightly. He pretended not to see, but he turned away quickly before she could see the smile that was starting to form on his face.

* * *

Sakura looked at herself in the mirror. She was all made up in one of her best kimonos and she used her best hair ornaments to accentuate her hair. She spun around a few times, adjusting her kimono, smoothing it, and fixing her hair a couple of times before she was satisfied. She took a deep breath before crossing the other side of the room and retrieving her fans. She was going to use them to perform a special dance performance called "_Ai no Yuurei" _which was about a woman who's lover left, and she waited day in and day out on a small bench by the village entrance, and until she died, her lover never came back, so her spirit remained there and still kept on waiting for him.

Her bedroom door creaked open and another Geisha peeped in. "Hi, Sakura-san,"

"Tenten-san," Sakura nodded and signalled for her to enter.

The brunette did so and closed the door behind her. She walked towards Sakura and straightened the hair ornament on her pink hair. "Good luck later. You're going to perform in front of the Hyuga family, right?"

Sakura nodded. "I haven't met anyone from the Hyuga. It kinda worries me…"

Tenten smiled, "Well, it's the birthday of Hyuga Hiashi-sama's daughter. Maybe they invited other people…and you might know some of them."

"I hope so," Sakura sighed. She tucked the fans inside her obi and they walked out of the okiya and right into the cool pavement by the flowing river. Tenten couldn't help but smirk when she noticed Sakura spacing out, "There's something going on, isn't there?"

The pinkette was immediately on guard, "What do you mean?"

"You're nicer," Tenten grinned, "And you look prettier too,"

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"When a girl is in love, she becomes nicer and prettier," Tenten told her, a smile never leaving her face. She looked over at Sakura who only seemed confused, "Are you in love, Sakura-san?"

Sakura laughed, "That's ridiculous. Why would I be in love, Tenten-san?"

Tenten shrugged, "I dunno…woman's intuition?"

"You're a woman?" Sakura retorted teasingly.

Tenten reddened and tried to smack Sakura's shoulder. "I'm not a tomboy anymore…don't bring up stuff from the past,"

Sakura laughed, and Tenten followed right after. When they reached a small teahouse where Tenten was going to be entertaining, they parted ways. Sakura walked alone, occasionally stooping down to pick up a pebble and tossing it on the river. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom and pink petals fell slowly. By the time she reached the large teahouse where all of the Hyuga awaited, her hair was draped with cherry blossom petals, and they fell to her shoulders and clung on her kimono as she entered. She looked just like a cherry blossom in full bloom, springing to life right on the teahouse's doorstep.

It took quite a while before the host stopped gaping at her and decided to announce her to the customers, "Oh, and here comes Sakura-san from the Miyazaki okiya,"

A small and polite applause came from the Hyuga family. There were about eight of them, and they were probably the highest ranking members of the family. Aside from them there were about three more and they looked like they were from different families. One of them also looked awfully familiar….but she had no time to dwell on the fact because the host called her right over to the seat beside a young Hyuga lady. Presumably the one celebrating her birthday.

"Good evening, Hyuga-sama," Sakura said in a very polite but casual tone.

The girl nodded and smiled, "You too,"

The Hyuga girl was beautiful, with pearl white skin and light eyes that seemed to shimmer a light blue whenever the lights reflect off of them. She was wearing a moss green kimono with the seal of the Hyuga at the front of the skirt. Her hair was tied up in a bun with ringlets of dark hair flowing down to her back. There was a simple red rose on her bun, and the rest of her looked simple but elegant. That wasn't much of a surprise. Only Geisha dressed like overflowing Christmas trees. Most rich ladies dress simply but expensively.

"You can call me Hinata," The Hyuga girl said.

"Then just call me Sakura," Sakura replied, feeling pleased.

On the other end of the table, a certain dark haired man's eyes flickered towards Sakura's direction at the sound of her name. He dropped his glass of Sake carefully on the table and cleared his throat. The two ladies turned their attention to him.

"Is your last name Haruno…?"

Sakura was surprised, "Yes…how did you know?"

The man smiled charmingly, "I just heard from somewhere. You must be a talented Geisha, right?"

Sakura grinned and scratched her cheek informally, "Well, I'd like to think so…"

The man laughed. "In that case, it's great that you came here tonight."

"Thank you," Sakura replied sincerely. "I'm glad I came, too. This is quite a splendid party,"

"Yes, it is," He reached out to shake her hand, "By the way, my name is Itachi,"

"Nice to meet you," the pink haired girl replied, taking his hand.

She made small talk with the Hyuga Hinata and the young man named Itachi before she got called to stage by the host in order to entertain the crowd before her. She went up the stage, pulled out the fans from her obi, and then danced. She moved, slowly and elegantly, taking in the evening spring air, feeling the sorrow of the song. _Ai no Yuurei…The Ghost of Love…_one of the best strategies she had while dancing was to feel the emotions from the song and interpret them as if they were your own.

Right before her finale, a woman's voice rang out from the crowd, "Sasuke, you're late,"

At the sound of his name, Sakura lost control and dropped one of the fans to the ground. The crowd grew silent as they stared. Then from the crowd, Itachi's voice rang out, "Mother…you startled her…"

But Sakura wasn't listening. She was staring at the floor, cheeks burning. She didn't know what to do. This was so by far one of the most embarrassing feats she had ever done. Then all of a sudden, there was a brief noise of fabric rustling against wooden tables, and when she looked up, she saw Sasuke at the edge of the stage. In his hand was her gold and silver fan. He raised his hand and handed it to her. "You dropped your fan…Sakura,"

And from that moment on, everything started to change.

* * *

**Okay….so I hope you guys like the second chapter.**

**And thank you for the wonderful people who reviewed the last chapter! I was only expecting about two or three, but then I saw more than ten! TEN! :D :D THANK YOU!**

**BTW the dance "Ai no Yuurei" was a figment of my imagination, and it was based on Sasuke and Sakura's story in the real anime.**

**Now…I will do my homework cause it's already nine in the evening and I haven't even touched a single notebook. :P Gotta Run!**


	3. The Boy from the Land of Whirlpools

**Chapter Three: The Boy from the Land of Whirlpools**

Sasuke awoke with a massive headache. As he sat up on his bed, rubbing his forehead, he tried to remember just what he did that gave him such a bad condition so early in the morning. He remembered stopping by a tavern after walking Sakura to the okiya, and when he came home, it was already late and he saw a small letter on the kitchen table that was addressed to him. It was a letter from Mikoto, telling him to go to the Hidden Leaf's most popular teahouse where they will celebrate the birthday of an old friend of his. The Hyuga Heiress named Hyuga Hinata.

When he arrived, he was thirty minutes late and he disrupted the performance of an incredibly stunning geisha which he later recognized as Sakura. They didn't talk to each other that night, and they went home without any sort of interaction happening between them. He was fine with that. What he wasn't fine with was that Itachi dragged him into some foul smelling tavern to drink Sake with a red-haired boy named Sasori who apparently came from a different place, and also with a long haired blond who couldn't seem to keep his mouth shut, let alone stop drinking. Now that explained the enormous hangover he had.

He went out to eat breakfast where he was joined by Itachi who miraculously seemed fine as if he didn't spend the whole night drinking sake. Itachi took a seat across from his brother and smiled, "Good morning, Sasuke,"

"Leave me alone," The younger Uchiha grumbled, trying to eat as little of the delicious meat pies as he could, for the fear of throwing up.

"I met your little friend," Itachi continued, ignoring his younger brother's previous remark. "I don't get why you didn't even talk to her after her performance last night. She's beautiful, nice, talented…and obviously smart,"

"She's annoying," Sasuke replied shortly.

"No," Itachi replied, smirking, "_You're_annoying! You and your enormous ego,"

"I'm not in the mood for a lecture,"

"Yeah, but you need it,"

Silence enveloped them for a short while, but Itachi cleared his throat to disrupt it. "I'm not lecturing you, Sasuke. I'm just trying to tell you not to limit yourself."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, "Limit myself? Sorry but I don't get what you're trying to imply,"

Itachi patiently elaborated his point, "What I'm saying is that you're limiting the possibilities of your life. Just because you're a member of an Uchiha doesn't mean you have to destroy your life by trying too hard to be all high and mighty. Remember Sasuke, being an Uchiha is an honour….a privilege…. But it's just a _name._A small six letter word you tack at the end of your first name. But if you remove that…you're just the same human being as everyone else. So you shouldn't limit yourself and your happiness….life is too short, and at times, we make it even shorter by living a life full of mistakes,"

Itachi's eyes bore a faraway look as he said it. Sasuke looked curiously at his older brother. Itachi seemed like the carefree-genius, but there were times when he seemed melancholy….almost _lonely…_as if he regretted something big. Something he couldn't fix.

"I don't think I'm making a mistake," Sasuke replied, trying to make his voice sound gentler.

Itachi turned away from the window and stared at Sasuke, "Yes, you're not making a mistake _yet,_ but you will if you keep on going like this,"

"Then what should I do?" Sasuke inquired.

Itachi smiled, glad that Sasuke saw sense in his advice, "Well, for starters, why don't you try befriending that Sakura girl? I know that you want to be her friend but you just feel as if having some sort of close ties with someone like her will taint the Uchiha name. Well listen up. You shouldn't care about the Uchiha more than yourself. Remember Sasuke….you are first and foremost a person. You are _Sasuke_before you are an Uchiha. There's a reason why last names comes last. It means that they're not your first priority. Your first priority is _yourself_and you should prioritize living a life that has meaning. You should live your life according to your own terms,"

Sasuke nodded, understanding his brother's point. But something else has been bothering him since this whole conversation started. He gave his brother a curious look, "What about you, Ni-san? How did _you_live your life?"

The stifling silence that followed was comparable to a hole—a void that is yet to be filled….or most likely, a void that can never be filled. The same faraway look entered Itachi's eyes again. It took him a little less than three minutes to reply, "I'm not done living my life yet…but Sasuke, you have to promise me one thing,"

"Promise you what?"

Itachi gave him a smile. It was lonely and hopeless and regretful. The kind of smile that bore some kind of deep hole in Sasuke's heart.

"Promise me that you won't live the same life I did,"

* * *

Sakura groaned painfully as she held a cloth filled with ice against her cheek. Hanaoki hit her on the cheek the night before. For some miraculous reason, Hanaoki found out about her mistake at the Hyuga's party last night. It wasn't really surprising, though. Hanaoki had eyes and ears _everywhere._And that wasn't an exaggeration. The pink haired girl made her way down the stairs and sat down at the lowest steps, still holding the ice bag against her cheek. It would take more than a week for the swelling to die down, and it looked like she won't be able to go around doing shows for quite some time. After all, there are flesh wounds that even makeup can't cover up.

"Sakura-san, good mo—what happened to your face?" Tenten's brown eyed widened as she saw the large red bruise on Sakura's right cheek. The pink haired girl tried her best to grin, although it looked more like a wince since pain shoots up immediately whenever she tries to raise her cheekbones. So smiling wasn't even an option right now.

"I had a slip up at the Hyuga's party last night," Sakura explained, "Hanaoki the eagle eyed maniac found out and beat the daylights out me when I got back,"

"That's awful," Tenten frowned. She had a taste of Hanaoki's beating herself, too. And she didn't like it.

"I'm used to it," Sakura shrugged and stood up, "This is nothing,"

Tenten laughed lightly, "Well, you're incredibly strong, Sakura. You should be out there as a free bird or something rather than be locked up in this hellhole,"

"The same goes for you," Sakura smiled, "I bet you're even stronger than I am,"

The two girls had breakfast. Compared to the servant girls of the okiya, geisha receive much better treatment and better food. They spent at least half an hour chatting about humorous events from the past and embarrassing slip ups they had that eventually resulted to a beating. Right after they finished a whole plate of buttered shrimp, they went into their own rooms to get ready for another day. Sakura wore a simple plain red kimono with a thin pink obi. Her hair was tied up in a bun with a simple cherry blossom ornament. She approached the mirror and twirled around twice. She looked very much like a rich lady, on her way to go shopping. But the big bruise on her face was too distracting to ignore.

"As long as I look like a proper human being, I guess that's enough," she shrugged and gave up trying to cover up the bruise with a thick glob of flesh coloured cream.

She went out of the okiya and walked around, enjoying the spring breeze that was starting to get warmer because of the approaching summer season. Soon, she was back in the same spot where she met Sasuke.

_Sasuke!_

They didn't talk at all last night, except when he handed her the fan back. She wanted to talk to him, of course, but talking to him was way harder with his family around. He seemed even more stoic than before, truly living up to his reputation as an Uchiha. And he probably didn't want to talk to her anyway. Being born from an honourable family, he probably had tons of friends who he could have conversations with. And they certainly weren't like her. They probably have even more honourable jobs and lifestyles. Not like her.

"Sakura,"

She was a bit surprised to hear her name, especially coming from Sasuke's voice. She ignored him for a few seconds, debating whether to turn around and face him and let him see the horrible condition of her cheek, or to run while she still could and get the hell out of there. She decided on the former.

Slowly she turned, and she caught the surprise in Sasuke's face when she finally turned to him, "Hey, Sasuke-kun. Find day isn't it?"

"What the hell happened to your face?"

"Uh…a vase fell on me while I was sleeping,"

"A vase?" Sasuke didn't believe it, "A vase fell on you…and you're still alive _how_?"

"I'm super strong!" Sakura giggled, enjoying the moment.

"Yes, I'm sure you are. But I'm not buying your reasons," Sasuke replied coolly, "Now tell me, what happened to your face?"

Sakura thought for a moment, trying to come up with the best she lie she could. "Okay, fine, I'll tell you. On my way back last night, I stopped by a tavern and started drinking. I was so drunk when I came home that I went all the way up the stairs only to fall back down again. This happened twice,"

Sasuke raised his eyebrows, "And only your cheek got injured?"

"Not exactly," Sakura pushed the sleeves of her kimono all the way to her elbows and showed him the other bruises she got from Hanaoki's beating, hoping he would believe them.

"Here are the other bruises I got," Sakura began, "They're not going to be that much of a problem since my kimono covers them all, but the one my cheek is…is…"

She looked up and stared at Sasuke's face. His head was turned to the right, his eyes closed, and there was a trace of red on his face. Sakura tilted her head to the side, confused, until she realized something. Her green eyes widened as she quickly pulled the sleeves of her kimono back down. She forgot something important. _If a lady shows her arm to a man, it is considered frugal…and even at times, intimate. There is a reason why ladies are required to wear kimonos, you know._Hanaoki's voice rang in her head.

Sakura reddened, and she blinked twice and shook her head to try and get rid of the blush.

"Looks like you finally realized it, stupid," Sasuke was now looking at her in the same bored expression, but he still looked unsettled.

"I just forgot," Sakura replied grumpily.

"How can you forget about such an important thing?" Sasuke looked over at her in disbelief, wondering what on earth came in her mind that made her show her arm in front of someone she barely even knew, and in a public place in broad daylight. Really, this girl was something else.

When Sakura didn't reply, Sasuke scoffed. "You're getting way too comfortable around me, woman. Try not to forget the biggest difference between the two of us,"

"Yeah yeah you're an Uchiha and I'm just a geisha,"

"No, you insipid female," Sasuke said, exasperated. "What I meant was you're a girl, I'm a boy. There's a difference. Don't treat me the same way you treat all your lady friends. It's very unbecoming of a woman and quite disturbing on my part,"

"Yeah, yeah, you're just overreacting cause you were thinking dirty stuff," Sakura yawned and turned around, walking casually along the river.

"I was not," Sasuke retorted. "I was just reminding you of important etiquette when having conversations with other people,"

"I still say you were thinking dirty stuff,"

"What makes you think that, you annoying little—"

"Because you're a guy, and guys are perverts,"

"Not all of them, you stupid little—"

"Why do you keep on calling me little? Do I look _little _to you?"

"Yes. You're even shorter than I was at age fourteen,"

"Hey, that's an exaggeration you perv! I'll have you know that I'm one of the tallest girls in our okiya!"

So their conversation went on, shifting from one topic to the next. The people around them assumed that they were merely a rich young couple, having a sort of lovers' fight. Without all her embellishments and strange ornaments, Sakura looked very much like a rich noble, walking alongside a nobleman. When people came up to them to bow to Sasuke (he was an Uchiha, after all) they also bowed to Sakura, who seemed to enjoy it.

"You look like you're enjoying yourself too much," Sasuke remarked.

"Of course I am," Sakura grinned, "It's a refreshing change to have other people bow down to you instead of you bowing down to them,"

Sasuke had an idea how normal people lived. He was friends with Naruto, after all. And Naruto wasn't a special person of some sort. He was just a son of a woman from a different war-torn land who sought refuge here in the Hidden Leaf and died soon after. Judging from his last name—_Uzumaki—_Naruto's mom must be from somewhere in the fallen Land of Whirlpool or _Uzu no Kuni._

Sasuke had no idea who his dad was, though. No one knew who Naruto's father was. Even Naruto himself had no idea. That's why he received his mother's last name.

"Sasuke-kun?"

Sakura's voice snapped him back to reality, "Hm?"

"What were you thinking about?" Sakura asked curiously.

"About Naruto,"

"Naruto..? Oh! Your bestfriend!" Sakura remembered, "So what about him?"

"He has no idea who his father is," Sasuke explained, "His mother was from the Land of Whirlpool and she died soon after she gave birth to him right here in the Hidden Leaf. So we really have no idea who his dad is,"

"Really…that's awful," Sakura looked down at her feet. "So you mean he's living alone?"

"Yes,"

Sakura turned her attention back to the river. Living alone. She had an idea what that was like. She used to be staying inside her house alone with hardly any food until she met Sai who introduced her to Hanaoki and who gave her a job in the okiya as a geisha. She met Sai through Ino, and Ino was the one supplying her with food right after her parents died in the war. She owed a lot to those two people.

"Want to visit him?" Sakura asked.

"Who?" Sasuke asked.

"Naruto," she replied, grinning, "You might not know this but living alone is kinda lonely. Even now that I'm staying in an okiya filled with people, I still feel kinda lonely if Ino doesn't come and visit,"

Sasuke wanted to reject her proposal, but what could he do? The pink haired girl was already determined to go and visit the blond goof he calls his bestfriend. So they walked all the way to the other end of the village until they arrived in some sort of apartment. They climbed up until they reached Naruto's living space and knocked twice. There was a brief sound of glass breaking and rumbling of footsteps before the door opened.

"Ahh! Sasuke-teme! About time you came and visited," Naruto was grinning widely, then his expression turned into confusion when he saw Sakura. "Hm? Who're you?"

"I'm Sakura. Haruno Sakura," Sakura replied.

"Oh…she's your girlfriend, Sasuke-teme?" Naruto asked, looking like he didn't believe any of it.

"Of course not, dobe," Sasuke replied. "And why is your room so dirty? How can you live in this pigsty?"

Naruto stuck his tongue out, "If you told me earlier that you'll come and visit, I would have cleaned this place up a bit!"

Sasuke looked disgusted, "You mean you only clean when there are visitors? What kind of human being are you?"

"The kind that appreciates practicability," Naruto grinned confidently, "I mean, why bother clean up your house when you live alone? I just do a once a year spring cleaning to make sure this place doesn't become a home for rodents and cockroaches and stuff…"

"You only clean…once a year?" Sasuke looked around he blond's apartment in disgust, wondering what kind of person cleans his house only once a year.

"Yeah yeah spare me the details," Naruto waved off the topic in a bored manner, "Now do you wanna come in or not?"

Sasuke and Sakura exchanged glances before stepping inside Naruto's horribly unkempt apartment. They took a seat on an old sofa with a sickening green colour, the same shade as vomit. The blond hustled around, picking up dirty clothes and plates here and there while growling to himself, trying to find the remaining box of tea leaves he still he had with him. Eventually, he tripped over some brownish thing which they later recognized as his carpet.

"What a klutz," Sasuke sighed, "He just can't move slowly, can he?"

Sakura grinned, "I think he's just excited to have some friends over. I know how it feels like to live alone, you know. And sometimes it can get kinda lonely,"

Finally, Naruto managed to locate the tea leaves and a few extra cups. He managed to brew a surprisingly tasty kind of tea, considering the state his house was in and the fact that couldn't even find some sugar. He sat in front of Sasuke and Sakura, grinning widely while watching them drink tea. Finally, Sasuke had enough.

"What do you want?" he questioned.

"Can't I watch my own guests drink my own tea in my own house?" The blue eyed blond replied irritably.

Sasuke paused for a few seconds before replying, "No. You can't,"

Naruto scoffed, "You're a horrible conversationalist, you know that?" He turned away from the Uchiha and focused on Sakura instead. "Hi, I'm Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki,"

"Yeah, I heard," Sakura replied with a firm smile. "I'm Sakura,"

"Then it's nice to meet you, Sakura-chan!"

"You too, Naruto,"

The three spent the entire afternoon chatting about trivial stuff. From tasty ramen to noble families to abhorrent okiya mistresses.

"So your mistress is pretty strict..?" Naruto questioned, chewing on a loaf of bread which, Sasuke suspected, was about a month old.

Sakura scoffed, "Hanaoki is an old hag. If I could, I would have beaten the living daylights out of her."

"And why can't you?"

Sakura gave him a wry smile. "Because that would surely get me kicked out of the okiya. It's my only job and I get my money there."

"Such a shame," Naruto frowned, actually feeling sympathetic for her. "If I was as rich as Sasuke-teme over here, I'd get you a better job or something."

They both gave Sasuke expectant looks, to which the Uchiha replied, "What?"

"Didn't you get it?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke looked confused. "Get what?"

"There was a hint there! A hint!" Naruto exclaimed.

"What kind of hint?"

"Get Sakura-chan a better job! God, how dense can you be, Sasuke?" Naruto frowned, fighting the urge to hit the Uchiha over the head with the remaining loaf of bread, but decided against it because there was not much space in his apartment to allow him to run for his life.

"She has a fine job now, what else can she possibly want?" Sasuke sighed irritably.

"You call being some sort of female slave for some abhorrent witch a _fine job_?" Naruto exclaimed in disbelief.

"Aww don't be like that, Naruto," Sakura admonished lightly, but there was a mocking tone in her voice, "Maybe you're forgetting that Sasuke-kun was raised in a _superior_noble family. Maybe that's why he can't tell the difference between a job and a hellhole,"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Was that an insult?"

"Ya' think?"

"Yup. She has a point," Naruto nodded.

A murderous aura emanated from Sasuke. "Maybe you two are forgetting that—"

Naruto scoffed, "Yeah yeah we know. That you're a member of the one of the highest noble families in the Land of Fire and I'm just an orphaned brat with some foreign mom and an unknown father and Sakura-chan's just a geisha who can't even find a decent job. Yes, we know that already, Sasuke!"

Sakura nodded wistfully, "Yeah, we don't need your lectures, Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke studied his two friends for a while, before sighing in defeat, "This isn't fair. You two are ganging up on me,"

"Ah, it's the power of poverty that keeps us strong," Naruto grinned.

When the two of them laughed, Sasuke couldn't help but crack a small smile. Naruto and Sakura had plenty of similarities. Most noticeable of all was their uncanny ability to make him smile…and even laugh, sometimes. Very few people could do that, including Itachi and Mikoto. When the sun began to set and sky was starting to turn pinkish orange, Sasuke and Sakura bid Naruto goodbye.

"Thanks for visiting, you old iceberg," Naruto grinned, then he turned to Sakura, "And it was nice meeting you, Sakura-chan,"

"Hn," Sasuke replied.

"Yeah, I'll come visit when I have the chance," Sakura said brightly.

They walked out and kept on walking straight into the setting sun, right through a path crowned with flowing cherry blossom leaves, and they went on and on until Naruto's waving figure disappeared from sight.

* * *

**DID YOU KNOW? Back in ancient japan, showing your arms and legs to a male is synonymous to walking around in a bikini. Yes, it is considered very informal if a lady shows her arm to a man. But in today's century, it's not a very popular custom anymore. We even have porn stars now! Okay, we're getting out of topic. AHEM.**

**A/N: Not much romance in this chapter, huh? Well, I'm not exactly the most talented romance writer around. So sorry. :P I'll continue doing my best though, and BIG BIG THANKS TO THE AMAZING PEOPLE WHO REVIEWED THE LAST CHAPTER.**

**The romance will come…in later chapters. Anyway, the speech of Itachi in the beginning is actually my own belief. That we are all individuals and that we have independent rights. And if it isn't obvious enough, this chapter focuses on Naruto. Which explains the title. ^_^**


	4. The Girl from the Land of Sound

**Chapter Four:**The Girl from the Land of Sound

Sasuke clutched the wooden practice sword with his right hand. He held it so tightly that the veins in his arms were showing and his hands were starting to tremble. It wasn't enough. It _never_was enough. He would never be the son his father wanted him to be. He would never be the kind of person Uchiha Fugaku expects him to be, and this triggered and a strong sense of frustration in him. Itachi was standing across the room, trying to look aloof and emotionless, but pity and regret was clearly showing in his onyx eyes. Mikoto was standing beside Itachi, looking nervous and was fidgeting slightly. And lastly, Uchiha Fugaku was standing right in front of Sasuke's kneeling figure.

He tapped Sasuke's shoulder with the end of his wooden practice sword, "Get up, Sasuke,"

The youngest Uchiha had to suppress a curse as he tried to get up from his kneeling position from the floor and find the courage to look at his father's disappointed eyes. He failed miserably in their mock battle. Fugaku brought him down in a matter of minutes, and Sasuke was yet to land a single hit on him.

If Fugaku was disappointed (which he most certainly was), he did not show it. Instead, he scanned the room in a calm way until his eyes settled on Itachi, "It seems that you were mistaken, Itachi. It was not the instructors at fault. It was Sasuke. He couldn't learn anything properly, even with your guidance,"

"We just started having lessons together last two weeks ago," Itachi defended his brother, carefully controlling his voice, "Two weeks is not ample time for immediate improvement."

"But why is it that _you_always learned everything perfectly…in less than a week?" Fugaku inquired, staring straight at his eldest son, digging deep in his eyes, showing him that he was superior and his words were absolute. Itachi could not say anything else for the first time, and instead, he bowed his head and refused to reply.

"Sasuke has been rather disturbed these past weeks," Mikoto interrupted calmly, "Perhaps he just needs some more time to clear his head. Everybody knows that emotional problems often interfere with development. Don't be so hard on him, Fugaku,"

Fugaku sighed, thinking over his wife's words. Then finally, he replied, "Fine. I will give him three more weeks of ample preparation. He should be prepared by then and his emotional disturbances should be cleared up. I will not accept excuses next time, Sasuke,"

Sasuke didn't nod. He didn't say anything. He just allowed his eyes to narrow into slits, trying to control his fist from making its way to his father's face. If he did that, then his already slim chances of making himself look good would border to zero. Fugaku turned and walked away, his footsteps could be heard echoing loudly as he crossed to the other end of the hall and left the room without another word. Mikoto walked forward and pulled out a white handkerchief from her obi and started wiping Sasuke's face with it.

"I'm sorry it didn't turn out well, Sasuke," she said softly.

Sasuke didn't say anything. He just stared straight ahead, transfixed on the translucent rays of sunlight peeping in from the slits of the wooden windows. Itachi was still at the other side of the room, head still bowed, looking down at the wooden floor as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. He felt like he failed his little brother. It wasn't his fault, but he always did everything to make Fugaku acknowledge Sasuke just as he acknowledged him. But his efforts failed time and time again and he feared that the day that Sasuke drifted away completely from their father would soon come.

Mikoto's surprised voice broke his trance.

"Sasuke!"

Itachi looked up and saw his younger brother running off and before he could say anything, Sasuke was already bolting out of the door and making a run for whatever that lay beyond.

Mikoto buried her face in her hands and soft choked sobs could be heard echoing from the four walls of the training room. Itachi strode calmly across the room and towards their mother. With a bit of hesitation, he placed his arms around her and held her still as she cried.

"What if he leaves us, Itachi?" Mikoto barely whispered to him, "What if he hates your father and decides to leave us?"

"Sasuke will do no such thing," Itachi replied, surprised by the amount of confidence he felt. "He has your kindness and father's unwavering determination. Don't worry mother, his resolve will not falter. I know my little brother too well,"

Mikoto stepped away from him and smiled a bit, "I suppose you're right, dear. It was foolish of me to be so pessimistic,"

"You have every right to be worried," Itachi smiled, "But really, there's no reason to worry,"

As they walked towards the main house, with his mother's arm looped around his own, Itachi was in deep thought. Sometimes, he couldn't find it himself to think that _he_was the reason that Fugaku did not acknowledge Sasuke. He was a natural genius and he supposed that his father expected the same thing from Sasuke. Itachi wondered what Sasuke thought of him. Whether he loved him for being a supportive brother…or whether he loathed him for stealing their father's attention.

But it didn't matter, he decided. Whatever Sasuke thought of him, he will still do everything to protect him. Just like what all big brothers should do.

* * *

Sakura hummed a light tune to herself as she bent down to pick a bright cosmos flower growing at the edge of the riverbank, right beside a clump of damp lilies. She moved away, making sure the hem of her kimono didn't dip towards the flowing water, and walked towards a huge blossoming cherry blossom tree and dropped the flower along with many others inside a woven wicker basket. She wiped a sheen of sweat from her forehead and sighed, exhaling deeply as she tilted her head up to look at the bright sapphire sky. Collecting flowers was exhausting. It was an activity far more suited to a person with a natural green thumb and one that was accustomed to the great outdoors, like Ino.

Ino has always been better than her at everything. Although most of their childhood was riddled with intense rivalry…things started to mellow down when they reached their older teens. Now they got along rather well and they often helped each other out. But that didn't meant they've grown out of their constant bickering. They still argued every now and then.

Suddenly, there was a sound of strong but urgent feet tapping the grassy ground.

Sakura turned her head and thought with a sense of urgency, _Footsteps! I hear footsteps!_

She dropped down to pick up the wicker basket and held her ground, clutching the basket tightly with her right hand. She scrunched up the hems of her kimono until they reached the upper part of her knee and held them up with her left hand. Before she could turn around and run, the owner of the footsteps appeared from the thick bushes

Sakura blinked.

Sasuke was exhausted by the time he emerged at the little clearing. He didn't even know why he went here, of all places. Maybe because the calmness and serenity of the place made him feel as light as a feather, particularly at times when his heart was heavy and burdened. Sakura placed a hand over her chest, exhaling deeply before placing her hands on her waist and bearing a stern expression, "Goodness, Sasuke-kun! What were you thinking running around like some deranged animal? Have you had any idea how scar—"

The pink-haired girl blinked, a bit confused. The young Uchiha has now made her towards her and placed his arms around her without a word, before pulling her into an embrace. Sakura did not protest, even when an unnecessary amount of time has passed. She just allowed herself to be held, knowing that there was something wrong. It wasn't exactly typical Sasuke behaviour to go around hugging people, so perhaps he had a really bad day for him to become this desperate.

Sakura placed her arms around him as well, patting his back softly. "What happened, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke did not reply. He just stayed put, his breathing urgent and fast due to the running, but later it calmed down into a normal pace, along with his heartbeat.

When he finally let go, his face was aloof and emotionless, baring no trace of the state he was in earlier. Sakura tilted her head to the side, "What happened?" she asked, though this time, more demandingly.

"Nothing big," Sasuke replied in his usual smooth way.

"The way you were crying like a big baby didn't seem like it was just _nothing big,_" Sakura raised her brow, "Now won't you tell me what happened?"

"I said it was nothing!" He snapped at her.

Instead of feeling hurt, like what he expected, she only got madder and more insistent, and she raised her own voice at him, "Well, I'm just asking!" she snapped back, "Is it wrong to be concerned? Sometimes you _really_piss me off, Sasuke-kun. Don't make me punch you,"

And just for the heck of it, she started rolling the sleeves of her kimono up her arms again, readying her fist. Sasuke placed his hand on her wrist, effectively stopping her from rolling her sleeves up any further. Sakura grinned triumphantly, "Oh, you're trying to stop me, are you? You're so afraid of me punching you? Well, you _should be!_I can punch hard!"

"Me? Scared of you? Not in a million decades," Sasuke retorted smoothly, no emotion betraying his face, "I just stopped you to remind you not to show your arms to some random person in public, or have you forgotten?"

"You're not a random person," Sakura insisted, "You're my friend,"

Sasuke was surprised at the bluntness of how she stated it, and he tried to suppress a smile. "You're just saying that to defend your lack of proper manners,"

"And you're just saying that to hide the fact that you're a perv,"

Sasuke's onyx eyes narrowed, "Stop bringing that up! You're so annoying,"

Sakura puffed her cheeks and dropped the basket back down on the ground. She turned away and went back to the riverbank to collect a few more lilies. Sasuke looked around. The clearing was absolutely deserted with no sign of any human activity…except for the footprints he left behind and the pink haired girl crouching dangerously at the edge of the river in an attempt to pick a bright red blossom from a rock growing out of the river bed. He walked towards her and stepped on the skirt of her kimono to keep her from falling towards the dangerous rush of flowing water.

Sakura noticed it and turned her head, "Hey, don't just step on my skirt!"

"You're going to fall," Sasuke pointed out, "Why are you so bent on taking that flower anyway? Even _I_can't reach it even if I tried,"

"I need a main flower for my flower arrangement," Sakura insisted. "I can't do shows for a few weeks, Sasuke-kun. Because of this stupid bruise on my cheek, I can't go around to do my job. So I'm helping out at the Yamanaka flower shop until this bruise swells down to make up for the income I will be losing,"

"You're so bent up on earning money, are you?" Sasuke questioned. "Money isn't always that important, you know,"

Sakura laughed bitterly. Sasuke was surprised at the harsh edge of her laugh. Normally, her laugh was high and cheerful and annoying….but this time, it was cold and bitter.

"Not important?" Sakura asked back, her voice still had that bitter edge to it, "Not important, huh? So tell me, Sasuke-kun. Why do all the poor people suffer? Why do dozens of families die of starvation each year? Why do countless girls get forced to take blasphemous jobs? Because they have no money. And why do all the superior higher families get all the glory and food? Because they _have_money."

Sasuke was surprised at the sudden hard edge of the girl before him. This was certainly a side of Sakura he never saw before. "That still doesn't mean that you should exert yourself far more than your body can take,"

Sakura let out another bitter laugh. "No. You don't get it, do you? You're an Uchiha! You belong to the upper class part of the village. You don't know what it feels like to overwork yourself. You don't know what it feels like to be stepped on by people like you're just some pile of dirt!"

Sasuke looked down on the ground, his eyes narrowing dangerously, "But do you know what it feels like to continuously disappoint your father? Because he expects too much from you? Because your family is one of the highest in the village? No, you don't! So don't you dare talk to me like I don't understand anything!"

Sakura's voice was quiet when she spoke, "At least you still have a father…"

Sasuke looked up at her, "But what would be the point if your father doesn't even acknowledge you as a son? Won't that be the same thing?"

Silence engulfed them. All that could be heard were the rustling of leaves, the flowing of the river, the waves lapping against the riverbank, and the wind billowing around them. Both were ashamed of taking out their frustrations on each other, particularly Sakura, who remembered that Sasuke came there looking like he desperately needed help. And she gave him the exact opposite by dumping all her problems on him.

"No, I suppose it isn't," she finally said, "But you still have a chance to prove yourself,"

"I don't think I can," Sasuke replied, "My brother's a genius. And I don't want to admit it, but I'm not anything like him. Our father expects me to be like him….and I can't. That's why I don't think he'll ever accept me,"

"Then he's not a good father," Sakura commented, "Good fathers are supposed to accept their children the way they are. Don't worry Sasuke-kun. _You_are a good son. Your father is the one at fault,"

Sasuke didn't reply. He thought over what Sakura said. And all he could think of was why is that she always knew what to say to make him feel better? Even if it did involve insulting his father. It was quite new for him. To have someone view him substantially higher than his dad.

"Sorry, I have no right to say mean stuff about your dad," Sakura's voice broke his train of thought.

Sasuke smirked, "Don't worry about it. I'll take that as a compliment on my part,"

Sakura beamed and then fell silent. This time, the silence didn't seem awkward. It seemed to be more like "I-just-need-some-time-to-think" kind of silence, and both Sasuke and Sakura understood it. Sasuke was glad that of all people he was with, it was Sakura. Right now, he was in an awful state of depression and he wasn't sure if he could cope with Naruto's loud mouth and whiny pleas. It seemed that Sakura was one of the very few people who really understood him. It was either that, or the fact that she was just really nice.

The rest of the day was spent at the clearing by the river bank. Sakura was still coming up with creative ways to get the flower from the middle of the river without falling in, while Sasuke would sigh and grumble while following her around just in case she needed help. He didn't understand her, and he doubted that he ever will. The person he understood the most was Naruto, and Naruto understood him well in return. But despite the mutual understanding he and his best friend shared, he was glad that it was not Naruto, but Sakura, who he was with right now.

* * *

A red haired lady wearing a lavish lavender kimono knocked irritably at the door of Uzumaki Naruto's apartment. There was no reply. The red-head continued knocking until finally she had enough and was now punching the door with her fists. "Hey! I know you're in there, Uzumaki Naruto! Open the door!"

The light haired male beside her caught her hand before she was able to punch the door again, "Hey, cool it. You know, you have some really serious anger management issues,"

"I don't care!" she jerked her gloved hand away and turned away from him with an indignant sniff, "And don't touch me!"

Hozuki Suigetsu sighed and scratched the back of his head with a hand. Here he was, standing in front of a rundown apartment with an apparently nonexistent owner, with the most temperamental young lady he knew. Miyazaki Karin was not to be taken lightly. She was an orphan but she was taken in by a very influential man from the Land of Sound. She was very beautiful, he admitted that, but her incredibly short fuse makes up for whatever ladylike attributes she possessed.

"Uzumaki Naruto! I know you're in there! It's no use hiding from me! If you don't open this door in three seconds, I will personally ask my guards to break down your damn door!"

Suigetsu sighed. Karin was not at all good in persuading people…which is why she often resorted to using brute force. Her adoptive caretaker has been spoiling her a little too much.

Finally, the door opened and a blond head peeped out. "Alright I get it, Karin," Naruto grumbled, "Don't break down the door. It's too expensive to have it replaced. Now what do you want?"

"Where's Sasuke?" Karin inquired, arms folded across her chest.

"I dunno," Naruto shrugged, "The teme rarely visits me now. And why are you checking on _my_house? Why don't you go to _his_ house and see if he's there?"

"I already did that," Karin muttered irritably, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "But he wasn't there. I asked Itachi-san and he said Sasuke ran off right after training. I just thought he might be here,"

"Well he isn't," Naruto replied, yawning, "Now would you get off my case? I need to sleep,"

"It's goddamn four in the afternoon you moron!" Karin cussed, "It's no time for sleeping! Now tell me where Sasuke might be. You're his best friend. Surely you've got an idea. Sasuke never hangs out with anyone else except for you,"

"Maybe he's with Sakura-chan," Naruto scratched the back of his head sleepily. "Why dontcha' go ask her?"

Karin stopped and blinked, "Sakura…chan?"

"Yeah, Sakura-chan," Naruto confirmed, "When he's not with me, it's either he's at home or hanging around with Sakura-chan. She's our new friend,"

Karin considered this for a moment, "Give me her full name and a description of what she looks like,"

Naruto sighed irritably, "Okay, lemme' see….her full name is Haruno Sakura and she looks really pretty,"

Karin waited. Naruto did not say anything else.

"…that's it?" Karin raised a brow, "That's the only description you'll give?"

"Well yeah," Naruto shrugged, "That's basically the gist of it,"

Karin growled and turned around. "Alright I get it, Suigetsu let's go!"

They started down the steps until they reached Karin's grand looking carriage. The driver hopped on the seat and readied the pair of chestnut coloured horses while her butler, Jugo, opened the door for both Karin and Suigetsu. When they both got inside with Jugo, Suigetsu turned to Karin, "Hey Karin, are you really going to go find this 'Sakura-chan' person?"

"Yes, if she leads me to Sasuke," The red head murmured breezily as she stared at the ongoing scenery outside the carriage window.

"Sasuke can take care of himself, you know," Suigetsu pointed out.

"Right," Jugo agreed.

"Oh shut up you two," Karin snapped, "I…just want to make sure he's okay…"

A blush was spreading all over her cheeks, nearly matching her flaming red hair. When the carriage fell silent, she quickly spluttered out an incoherent string of excuses, "W-Well I'm his friend after all! What d-do you expect me to do? This is natural!"

"No one's contradicting you, Karin," Suigetsu gave her a wry smile.

Karin huffed and turned away. Suigetsu smiled at her behind her back. He often wondered what the hell it was that made him stick to her back and fulfil her every whim no matter how stupid or reckless it was. Perhaps it was because, despite being the most blatantly mean and short tempered woman he knew, Karin was also a friend he'd come to know and understand. He admitted that he didn't understand much about her, but he knew that despite her self-centred tendencies, she was the type of friend who would never leave anyone behind.

"What are you looking at, river child?" Karin asked, narrowing her crimson eyes at him.

"Just wondering why the hell Sasuke ever became friends with you,"

Karin flushed, then pointed a finger at him, "Take that back you incompetent moron!"

"Don't wanna," Suigetsu stuck out his tongue to enrage the red head.

The rest of the trip was filled with fist hitting cheeks and sounds of battle cries along with hair being pulled and the occasional attempts of Jugo to calm them both down. None of which worked.

* * *

"This has been a fun day, Sasuke-kun," Sakura grinned childishly. "Thank you for helping me out,"

"Hn," Was Sasuke's usual reply.

Sasuke did not walk her all the way back to the okiya, but he stayed behind long enough to see her disappear along the curve of the street that led straight to her home. When he was sure she was safe, he went to the opposite direction and grudgingly went back to the Uchiha main house.

When Sakura arrived, she was greeted by a servant girl, "Sakura-sama, you have a guest waiting for you at the living room,"

_Ino!_ Sakura was immediately giddy and she ran all the way from the entrance to the living room. She flung open the doors, "Ino!"

"Haruno Sakura, I presume?"

Sakura blinked. It wasn't Ino sitting on the sofa, but rather, it was a red haired young lady who looked like she was about the same age as her. She was sipping on a cup of sake and she raised a brow at Sakura. "Again, may I ask? Are you Haruno Sakura?"

Sakura nodded, still dazed. "Yeah,"

The girl rose from the couch in a swift and elegant manner. She held out a gloved hand and Sakura shook it with her bare ones. The girl did not smile. She stared firmly into Sakura's bright green eyes, "My name is Miyazaki Karin and I come from the Land of Sound,"

"Um...it's quite nice to meet you…but what are you here for?" Sakura asked, slightly tilting her head to the side.

The girl took one last sip of Sake before saying—

"We need to talk,"

* * *

**Sorry for the super late update.. XD I had to take care of a few things at school, including but not limited to our art exhibit. XD Had to finish my painting cause I'm sooo damn lazy I didn't finish it much sooner. Okay, so this is not exactly the best chapter, but I'll try to make the next one enjoyable! ^^Thank for the readers who reviewed the last chapter!**

**SNEAK PEAK FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER: Naruto is gonna meet Hinata-chan! :D**


	5. Just In Love

**Chapter Five: Just In love **

_Miyazaki Karin, _Sakura repeated the red head's name inside her head, inwardly wincing at her last name. Miyazaki was the name of their okiya, and she wondered if this girl had any connections with this place. Sakura examined her closely. She had red hair, equally red eyes, and was wearing a lavish purple kimono. It was simple and plain but obviously expensive. Her obi was plain white and her red hair was tied up to a classy bun with a blood red camella as a flower ornament. Sakura immediately knew, from the way she dressed, that she was a noble.

Sakura was immediately on guard. The presence of this red-head noble made her feel uneasy. This woman had the power, influence and money to destroy everything she has worked hard for. It made her feel insecure. Why is this woman here looking for her?

"What do you want?" Sakura blurted out before she could stop herself.

Karin smiled coolly, "Like I said, I'm here to talk. Why? Is there a problem? Do you have some other event to attend to? If there is, then it's okay. I can come back another time,"

"No, it's okay," Sakura replied, trying to act as cool as this woman before her, "I was just…"

"Startled? Shocked? Afraid?" Karin mused, setting her cup of sake down, "Don't worry, because it shows clearly on your face. I assure you, you have nothing to be afraid of. I'm simply here to—"

"I'm not afraid," Sakura cut in, her temper flaring.

Karin remained as cool as ever, "Okay, whatever you say. Now, as I was saying. I'm here to talk to you about something—oh, how rude of me. You can sit down now,"

An intense dislike for the red-head flared up from within Sakura. First she barged in, then she assumed that she was scared, and now she was acting like she owned the place. But no. There was something else. Something else she disliked about this woman. Was it her annoyingly calm exterior? Her obvious power and control? Her surprisingly striking beauty?

No. It was something else. It was the same thing she used to feel when she was with Ino back when they were kids. The same thing she used to feel whenever someone praises Ino's (unfortunately) much more beautiful flower arrangement.

Rivalry. But this time, it was different. It was much more intense, and bitter. What could this woman possibly have that made Sakura dislike her so much? She was surprised when Karin herself said it.

"Uchiha Sasuke,"

Sakura blinked, "Excuse me?"

"Uchiha Sasuke," Karin repeated, "Do you know someone with that name?"

Sakura's brows narrowed. How did this woman know about her relationship with Sasuke? If Hanaoki gets wind of this, she might get another beating, or worst. And Sasuke's reputation as a respectable Uchiha might go down the drain. She didn't want that. She didn't want to be the reason for Sasuke's downfall. So she did the first thing that came to mind. She lied.

"No," Sakura replied firmly, "I do not know anyone with that name. The last name Uchiha is familiar to me, but I know no one named Sasuke. And I assure you that the members of the Uchiha clan do not associate themselves with…people like me,"

Karin considered this for a moment, "I see…"

Sakura waited, examining Karin's expression. The red-head looked as deceptively calm as ever. The silence was suffocating, so Sakura started another conversation herself. "If you wanted to find your friend, you should have asked someone else. Someone from the honourable Hyuga Clan, perhaps. They might have more connections with the Uchiha."

"You have a point," Karin smiled without much expression, "But Haruno Sakura-san, are you sure that you are not at all acquainted with someone that goes by the name 'Uchiha Sasuke'?"

"I assure you, I am not," Sakura clarified with the firmest voice she could muster. "After all, he is an Uchiha, and I am just a geisha. We live in two different sides, both literally and figuratively,"

Karin laughed, "I love your humour, Haruno-san,"

Sakura smiled graciously, "I am honoured, Miyazaki-sama,"

Sakura inwardly sighed in relief. It looks like this rich girl bought her ridiculous act after all. "Oh, isn't it a bit too early to be drinking sake?" Sakura asked, gesturing to the cup of sake that Karin was drinking from, "We have fine tea that might suit your taste in the kitchen,"

"I appreciate it, but I'm afraid that I must leave," Karin replied, draining the cup before setting it down gently, "I have wasted my time in the Land of Fire, you see. I was supposed to meet Sasuke here but it looks like he forgot about our plans," Her pretty face twisted into a scowl, "But I'm glad we had this talk, Haruno-san. It made my stay here worthwhile,"

She rose gracefully from the table, and Sakura followed. "Thank you for your time, Haruno-san,"

"You are very much welcome, Miyazaki-sama,"

Sakura led her out of the okiya and bowed slightly as she entered her carriage and took off into the night, disappearing out of sight. Sakura released the breath that she had been holding. Why did that woman know about her relationship with Sasuke? She wasn't even from the Land of Fire. News of their connection couldn't have spread _that _fast. The evening air was cold enough to make her squirm uncomfortably in her thin kimono. She rubbed her arms to warm them, then turned back inside the okiya. She needed to get a heavier kimono unless she wanted to freeze in this damnation—

"Leave me alone!"

"Tenten, you're being ridiculous!"

Sakura's head whipped around automatically, _Tenten-san?_

She saw her fellow geisha rounding the corner, looking both afraid and enraged. A young man about her age appeared shortly. She was walking in a fast manner, obviously trying to avoid the boy. The young man, on the other hand, was trying to keep up with her without getting too close.

"I just wanted to walk you home, is that such a bad thing?"

"Yes!" Tenten hissed, turning around to face him, "Hanaoki-sama will beat me like a rag doll once she sees you. Go back now, Hyuga-sama, or _I _will be the one to beat the daylights out of you,"

"Your mistress beats you?" The boy raised a brow, "Maybe I can help—"

".in!" Tenten said, emphasizing each word. "I can take care of myself, Hyuga-sama! You don't need to go as far as—"

"I will leave you alone if you promise to accept my invitation for a dinner tomorrow night,"

Tenten stared at him, open-mouthed. She recovered shortly. "What?" she hissed, "You're being absurd! There are a lot of finer ladies you can ask,"

"But I'm asking _you_," He clarified impatiently, "Now are you going to accept or not?"

"No, I—" Tenten turned back just in time to see Sakura's startled face. Her green eyes were wide, her pink lips were slightly open, her hand was resting on the door. She was obviously stopped in her tracks just as she was about to enter the okiya. The expression that seeped in Tenten's face was that of sheer terror. She turned back to the young man, "Hyuga-sama, we've been seen! Just please turn back before I—"

The boy swept pass her and went towards the startled Sakura. He pulled out a few bills from his pocket and grabbed her hands. He dumped the money in her palms, "You will keep quiet about this, won't you?"

Before Sakura could reply, he went back to Tenten, "Now will you accept?"

Sheer desperation overcame Tenten, then she finally blurted out, "Okay, fine, I accept! Now go away!"

The boy smirked, and then turned away. "Meet me at the main western bridge at exactly six in the evening. Don't be late," Then he blended in with the darkness until he was gone.

Tenten bounded up the steps and clasped Sakura's hands with her own. "Sakura-san! Please…I…please I'm begging you don't tell Hanaoki-sama! I'll do anything, I…why are you smiling?"

Sakura squealed and encroached the brunette in a bone crushing hug. Sakura had unusually strong strength for a girl. "Tenten-san I'm so happy for you!"

"Huh..?" Tenten blinked.

Sakura released her. "Tenten-san, you have a date! A date!"

"Ssshhh!" Tenten hushed her, looking around cautiously, "Someone might hear you! Let's talk somewhere else!"

"In my room," Sakura said, dragging Tenten in her large bedroom. Sakura was one of the most popular geisha in the Miyazaki okiya, so her room was bigger compared to the others. She shut the door tightly and they both seated themselves at her dressing table. Sakura leaned forward, interested, "So..who was he?"

Tenten sighed, "Hyuga Neji. He's Hinata-sama's cousin. You've met her, right?"

"Yeah," Sakura nodded, "Oh wow, Tenten-san. You got asked out by a Hyuga. You're so lucky,"

"If Hanaoki-sama finds out—"

"She won't find out!" Sakura proclaimed confidently, "I'll see to it that she won't,"

Tenten smiled at her gratefully, "Thank you very much, Sakura-san, I don't know how—"

"You don't need to," Sakura waved off her concerns, "Now you need to worry about what to wear,"

"Most of my kimonos are too simple," Tenten shrugged, "Unlike you, I don't own any extravagant kimonos. I need to ask permission from Hanaoki-sama if I want to use one, but what will I say? She'll kill me if I say that it's for a date,"

"You can always borrow one of mine," Sakura suggested. They scoured her entire wardrobe, but Sakura owned only pink and red kimono, since she picks them out to match her hair. The pink haired girl frowned. Red and pink did not suit Tenten at all. She needed to wear earthy colours…like green or peach.

"We need to buy you a kimono," Sakura said.

Tenten frowned, "We don't have any money, Sakura-san. All of our profits go to Hanaoki-sama, so…so…."

Tenten stopped and blinked when she saw what Sakura was dangling over her eyes. It was a bunch of bills, that if counted, could buy a single kimono and a matching hair ornament. It was the money that Neji pushed into her hands a while ago, as a bribery for her not to tell Hanaoki about it.

Tenten hesitated, "That's the money that Hyuga-sama gave you. You have to use it on yourself. Not me,"

Sakura made a tsking sound, "I don't need the money, Tenten-san. And besides, he didn't need to give it to me. I wouldn't have told anybody even if he didn't pay me,"

Tenten glanced at the bills in Sakura's pale hands, then sighed, "Okay, I'll take them. I'll buy the kimono tomorrow morning,"

Sakura grinned, "Great! Don't forget to show it to me!"

* * *

"Oi, Karin, calm down,"

Karin slammed the sake bottle on the wooden surface. "How can I calm down, you damn river child? That—that annoying girl thought that she could pull one over me! How dare she lie to my face! Did she not think that I would notice? Ugh! How completely ungraceful and filthy!"

Suigetsu caught her arm before she could hurt herself, "Oi, stop punching the table! Calm down, Karin! Let's go back to the carriage already. You're as drunk as hell…"

"I don't care!" She released herself from Suigetsu's grasp before pushing him away, "There is definitely something going on between Sasuke and that Sakura-woman,"

"You don't know that for sure, Karin," Suigetsu tried to assure her.

"I know! I know there's something!" Karin retorted, refusing to give up. "Otherwise, why would she lie about it? Ugh! This is stupid! Why on earth did Sasuke disregard our plans for today just to spend time with that…that…that _filthy _excuse for a woman!"

"There was nothing filthy about her if you ask me," Suigetsu shrugged, "I wouldn't blame Sasuke. She _was _so damn beauti—"

"Oh, shut up!" Karin spat, trying to set herself upright. Suigetsu immediately held her arms to keep her from tumbling down to the floor of the tavern. Finally, the alcohol's effects won over and she slumped down on Suigetsu's arms. The silver haired boy sighed. He reached inside his pocket and pulled out a few gold coins. He handed them to the tavern boy before carrying his red-haired mistress back to the carriage where a tired Jugo was waiting. He raised a brow when he saw Karin.

"What happened to her?" he asked.

"Got really drunk," Suigetsu replied, looking down at the female he was carrying, "She thinks there is something between Sasuke and that geisha we visited,"

Jugo nodded, refusing to inquire any more. "Want help carrying her?"

"Nah," Suigetsu shook his head, "For someone as strong as her, she's surprisingly as light as a feather,"

Suigetsu entered the carriage and set Karin's sleeping form on the seat in front of him. He removed his coat and draped it over her shoulders to keep her warm. He stared at his mistress, noting how fragile and defenceless she looked when she was asleep. He poured water over his handkerchief and draped the damp cloth over her burning forehead.

He sighed tirelessly as he watched her sleep, "How much longer do I have to keep following you around to make sure you don't get yourself into trouble? Honestly, you're so annoying Karin. I'm really temped to leave you right now,"

He was surprised when Karin's voice said faintly, "You'd never do that,"

"What makes you think I won't?" He scoffed.

"Because you're Suigetsu," she replied simply, "You'd never leave me,"

Suigetsu was surprised with her answer. Even if this girl _was _half asleep when she said it, he still knew she was right.

He'd never leave her.

* * *

The next morning, Sasuke sighed softly. He was lying down on the soft grass, surrounded by several wildflowers. Soft puffy clouds were sailing across a bright azure sky. The wind was a bit chilly and the sound of the waves lapping against the mossy rocks at the side of the river made him feel calm. This was the very place where he met Sakura the second time, and ever since that happened, they have always met here. The place smelled an awful lot like Sakura. Maybe it was because she smelled like wildflowers and cherry blossoms.

"Sasuke-kun,"

He knew without bothering to look that the voice belonged to the one and only girl who was currently dominating his thoughts.

Haruno Sakura.

She sat down on a spot near him and then proceeded to lie down beside him. Then she started making fun of the cloud shapes. Sasuke finally had enough when she proudly pointed to a certain cloud and described it as _similar to Sasuke-kun's hair. Like the butt of a duck!_

"I came here to have some peace and quiet, and what do you do? You show up and completely shatter my day," He growled, sitting up.

Sakura sat up beside him and laughed, "Oh, come on, Sasuke-kun! You know it was a joke!"

Sasuke ignored her.

Sakura laughed, "Are you…sulking? My god, you're such a child!"

"You're the one who started it,"

Sakura laughed even harder, "The great Uchiha Sasuke, acting like a three year old!"

The Uchiha had enough and pushed her back down to the ground. Sakura was still laughing, and she laughed even harder when Sasuke loomed above her with an annoyed expression. She wiped the tears that started to gather at the corners of her eyes and bit her lips to keep herself from laughing, "Alright, I won't laugh at you anymore,"

"Why'd you stop laughing?" He asked, raising a brow at her.

"Maybe because you're on top of me?" She replied, copying his expression by raising a brow at him as well.

She was surprised when the Uchiha grinned and started tickling her, "If you don't laugh, then I'll make you!"

The small clearing was filled with Sakura's laughter as the Uchiha tickled her. He finally stopped it when Sakura started hitting him with her hands. He grinned, still looming above her, "So…still wanna laugh?"

For the first time, Sakura noticed their position. Her, lying down on the grass. Him, hovering right on top of her. She blushed at the closeness of his face and turned her head to the side. Sasuke noticed this too, and he slowly moved away from her. Sakura's face was still red, but she managed to flash him a haughty grin as she sat up. "Aww I didn't know you could be so playful, Sasuke-kun,"

"I'm not," He replied. "It was just revenge. For making fun of me,"

"Then you can make fun of me as well," Sakura said, moving closer to him.

Sasuke studied her for a moment, "What can I possibly make fun about you?"

Sakura rolled her green eyes, "Are you blind?" Then she pointed to her head.

Sasuke raised a brow, "You mean your hair? It looks perfectly fine to me,"

"My forehead!" Sakura said, exasperated.

"What about it?"

Sakura stayed silent. Not sure whether he was saying that it looked fine, or if he just didn't notice. Sasuke waited for her to reply, but when she didn't, he said, "There's nothing really wrong with you, Sakura. Well, apart from your annoying personality and your unavoidable tendency to be an idiot, you're perfectly fine,"

Sakura blinked at this, unable to believe it. Her? Perfectly fine?

They spent the day gathering wildflowers and talking about other random things, and when afternoon fell, Sakura excused herself, saying that she had to go back. Sasuke walked her back to a spot near the okiya, but he left before they got too close. Sakura entered the okiya, clutching the wildflowers she had gathered together with Sasuke. She nearly bumped into a dressed-up Tenten.

"You look distracted, Sakura-san," Tenten commented.

"Sorry for nearly bumping into you," Sakura apologized, then noticed the new kimono that Tenten was wearing. "Oh! That's the one you bought for you dinner with Hyuga-san? It's beautiful!"

The brunette smiled, "Thank you,"

They entered Sakura's bedroom, and then the pink haired girl proceeded to rummage inside her drawer to find the perfect hair ornament for Tenten. She finally decided on a white lotus ornament. It was one of Ino's gifts to her.

"Thank you for letting me use this, Sakura-san," Tenten said as Sakura carefully clipped the hair ornament on the brunette's hair.

"You're always welcome, Tenten-san," The pink haired girl chirped happily.

"You still look distracted, though," Tenten commented.

"It's nothing," Sakura tried to laugh it off. "It's just that…"

"That..?"

Sakura sighed. "It's just that a boy I know told me that I looked perfectly fine. Which is weird because I grew up being bullied because of my forehead. I guess I'm just not used to compliments like that…"

Tenten sighed, "You're still insecure about your forehead?"

"It _was _the main problem of my monstrous childhood," Sakura retorted. Then she smiled, "But I guess it was nice to hear a compliment like that from someone. Even if I'm not sure if he's just plain deluded,"

Tenten smiled knowingly, "Sakura-san, if a boy loves you, you'll _always _be perfect for him,"

* * *

**A/N: Umm…I don't even know what to say. T_T I'm..sorry for the VEEERRYY late update..? ehehehe…please don't kill me..? XD**

**By the way, I know in the last chapter preview I said that Naruto will meet Hinata, but there's a change of plans. He'll meet her in a different chapter… :P **


	6. Beauty

**Chapter Six: Beauty **

Sasuke found himself enjoying his breakfast for the first time since his father arrived. And now that Fugaku Uchiha was gone to have yet _another _meeting in the Land of Wind, Sasuke was having the time of his life enjoying a purely Fugaku-free week with his mother and older brother. They were going to have a grand engagement party for Itachi and his bride-to-be, Nadeshiko Shimura. She was a gentle young lady with good manners and was talented in many forms of art, including singing and playing the shamisen. She was from the rich Shimura family, and was a natural beauty.

"I still don't understand why Nadeshiko would want to marry someone like you," Sasuke remarked with a smirk.

"You should call her _Nadeshiko-san, _Sasuke," Itachi corrected, "You're forgetting your barely-there manners,"

Sasuke sniffed indignantly and started poking at the peaches on his plate. Mikoto laughed and smiled with genuine fondness at her two sons, "Honestly, you're little brotherly-feuds are so cute! My little sons, I'm so happy that you have both grown up with such a close relationship with each other. It warms my heart just looking at you,"

Itachi smiled at their mother, "You've been such a wonderful mother to both of us. How can we not grow up to be wonderful sons?"

Mikoto laughed and even Sasuke cracked a small smile. Itachi turned his attention back to his sulking little brother, "So Sasuke, who are you going to bring during the engagement party tomorrow?"

Sasuke looked up, "Huh?"

"You can bring two guests for tomorrow night," Itachi said, holding up two fingers, "I'm guessing one of them is going to be Naruto-kun, right?"

"Yeah," Sasuke nodded. Naruto was always invited to all of his family's parties anyway. Even Fugaku greets Naruto when they meet each other at the street. Sasuke has been friends with the blond idiot for so long that even his family knew him well.

"So who's going to be the other one?" Itachi questioned coolly.

Just like when it comes to Naruto, Sasuke did not need to think twice in order to know the answer. "Sakura," he replied automatically. "My second guest will be a girl named Haruno Sakura,"

"Oh, isn't she that pretty young geisha you befriended?" Mikoto asked, genuinely curious.

"Yes, mother," Sasuke confirmed.

Mikoto gave him a warm smile. "Well, I'm so happy that you managed to befriend someone like her. She's slightly different from the people you are used to, but you can learn a lot from her. I myself have never even talked to a geisha before. I'm looking forward to her presence tomorrow evening,"

"Are you sure this is alright?" Itachi gave Sasuke a questioning look, "Geisha have very strict customs, right? Isn't this against one of their rules..? She might get into serious trouble for this, Sasuke,"

Sasuke raised a brow, "What do you mean?"

"I've seen geisha with bruises before," Itachi elaborated, "It's usually the cause of their mistress beating them up for something they did that violated their rules. Haven't you seen Sakura-san with bruises before…?"

"No, I…" Then Sasuke remembered something briefly.

"_Hey, Sasuke-kun. Fine day isn't it?"_

"_What the hell happened to your face?"_

"_Uh…a vase fell on me while I was sleeping,"_

"Now that you mentioned it…" Sasuke muttered. "I think she _did_ get beaten."

"Poor thing," Mikoto shook her head sympathetically. "I wonder how she copes with that constant abuse."

"Sakura's a strong person," Sasuke found himself saying, "Though she tends to be an incurable idiot…"

Mikoto laughed gently, "You seem so fond of her,"

Sasuke immediately denied it, trying hard to ignore the strange leering looks his brother flashing at him, "Not really. She's annoying,"

They spent the remaining time of their breakfast talking about the preparations for Itachi and Nadeshiko's engagement party. Sasuke found it amusing that his mother was even more excited than Itachi himself. When breakfast was over, Itachi excused himself, saying that he had to go meet Nadeshiko and discuss their own plans. Mikoto sent him off cheerfully before going back and updating her list of flowers to request from the Yamanaka flower shop for tomorrow's grand event.

"Sasuke-chan, do you want to help me?" Mikoto asked, looking up from her list of flowers.

The young Uchiha immediately wrinkled his nose in disgust at the nickname. He was getting way too old for that. "Sorry, mother. I have to go and tell those two idiots about the engagement party. I'm planning to leave right now, if it's okay with you,"

"Oh, sure," Mikoto waved him off, "Make sure to come back before dinner. I'm making something extra special for tonight,"

"Of course, mother," Sasuke nodded. When his mother looked back down at her list, he smiled fondly at her before he turned away and headed towards the door.

The weather was fine, and even the grouchy gardener, who seemed to despise Sasuke a lot, thought so. When the young Uchiha waved at him, just for the sake of keeping up his polite image, the gardener acknowledged the gesture by giving him a short nod. It wasn't much, but it was definitely an improvement from the usual sour sneer and the wrinkling of his nose bridge, accompanied with a small mumble that sounded a lot like, "Pesky little Uchiha brat,"

Sasuke learned to ignore the gardener, because he himself was partly to blame. He used to run around trampling the newly planted flower beds along with Naruto when they were much younger. At least the gardener only sneers when he sees Sasuke. When he sees Naruto, on the other hand, it becomes a whole different story.

Taking a walk around the Hidden Leaf Village at this particular time of the day was always pleasant. Most of the villagers were still asleep and the shopkeepers were not even opening their shops. There were no carriages and reckless kids running around the street. Sasuke arrived at his destination earlier than usual. The sun was up but the thick trees provided shade to almost the entire clearing. He knelt down by the stream and dipped his hands. The water was cool and there were plenty of fish. New wildflowers were beginning to sprout from various spots in the clearing, replacing the ones Sakura picked out.

The young Uchiha laid down on the grass and enjoyed the breeze, the warm sun, and the sound of the waves lapping against the mossy rocks. It was a beautiful day, and he wanted to have some peace and quiet—

"Sasuke-kun!"

…and there goes the peace and quiet he originally planned.

He sighed, sat up, and faced the boisterous young lady that looked _way too_ happy to see him. "Sakura…you're so annoying,"

She laughed. It was incredible how she could just ignore his insults like that. "Sasuke-kun!" she continued on in her usually bubbly manner, "Do you have plans today?" and without waiting for him to reply, she rambled on, "Let's go visit Naruto!"

Sasuke rubbed his forehead, "I think I have a headache…"

Sakura frowned, "Really? Do you want me to make some medicine?"

Sasuke stared at her dryly, "I don't _really _have a headache, you know. It was more like an indirect way of saying that you're too loud,"

"Oh," Then she recovered again, "So, are we going to go visit Naruto or not?"

Sasuke sighed, "You're so annoying,"

"Yeah, I think you said that already,"

Sasuke didn't bother to reply. He may be better than everyone at everything else, but when it comes to coming up with creative retorts, he was totally at lost. Sakura was abnormally good at it, but she was nothing compared to Naruto. When he turned his attention back to the pink haired female, she was sitting by the river, gathering some red and yellow wildflowers. He walked over to where she was sitting and sat beside her.

He cleared his throat, "Sakura,"

She looked up and blinked at him, "Yes, Sasuke-kun?"

"My brother and his fiancee are going to have their engagement party tomorrow," Sasuke informed her, "They want me to invite two people along with me. Those two people are you and Naruto, obviously,"

Sakura looked thrilled. She was about to say something when Sasuke cut her off. "But Sakura, before you accept, you have to make sure that your mistress will allow you,"

She tilted her head to the side, "Hanaoki-sama? I can always hide it you know,"

"And if you get caught?" Sasuke raised a brow.

Sakura snorted, "I already get myself into a lot of shenanigans. I can always crawl my way out of one. Trust me, Sasuke-kun,"

Sasuke wasn't sure. He noticed the mark on her cheek, and he was afraid that her mistress might beat her up again. But the pink-haired girl in front of him looked completely sure of herself. Unlike him, she wasn't afraid to be herself. To do what she wanted. To feel what she wanted to feel. And despite her status, she believed strongly in herself. She was a caged bird, but she chose to act freely. Unlike himself who still lived under Fugaku's shadow. If he couldn't even make his way out of his own cage, who was he to doubt someone as free-spirited as Sakura? Both of them were like birds locked up in cages. The only difference was that this annoying green-eyed girl somehow found a way to extend her world. And she even extended it to someone like him.

He smirked, "Okay, I trust you, Sakura,"

The geisha grinned, "Thanks, Sasuke-kun,"

* * *

Tenten hummed a light tune to herself. She passed by the kitchen, nodding at servant girls who bowed when she passed. When she reached the second floor, she was surprised when a pink kimono flew straight out of Sakura's room. The brunette peeked in and saw the pink-haired girl rummaging inside her closet.

"Sakura-san, what are you doing?" Tenten asked after she let herself in.

Sakura turned her attention away from the closet, "Picking what to wear for tomorrow night,"

Tenten blinked, "There's an event tomorrow night?"

"I'm invited to my friend's brother's engagement party," Sakura replied casually.

Tenten closed the door and moved closer. "I didn't know Ino-sama had a brother,"

"Oh…" Sakura fell silent. She fiddled with the edges of her kimono, wondering if she should tell Tenten about her relationship with the young Uchiha. But she could trust Tenten, right? They were friends, right? And besides, there was nothing wrong in attending an engagement party, right?

"It's not Ino," Sakura corrected slowly, "My friend is a boy,"

"Oh," Tenten said thoughtfully, "What's his name?"

"Uchiha Sasuke…"

Tenten stopped and stared at her. The pink haired girl ducked her head, "I'm sorry…"

Tenten laughed, "What are you sorry for, Sakura-san? It's not like having friends is against the rules. I was just surprised, that's all. And besides, there are other geisha here who have really serious affair with other men. Like Ai-san for instance. She secretly has a lover and sleeps with him sometimes," Tenten wrinkled her nose, "It's disgusting for a geisha of high status like her,"

Sakura smiled. Tenten always knew how to make her feel better. She was also calm about certain things and preferred not to make a fuss, unlike her dear bestfriend Ino who easily gets excited and giddy.

"Anyway, if you're attending a party hosted by the Uchiha, you have to wear something more…elegant," Tenten told her.

"Like..?"

"I dunno," Tenten shrugged. "Something much simpler, like the ones that Hyuga Hinata-sama wears,"

"But there are rich ladies who wear elaborately printed kimono as well, and they still look elegant in it," Sakura shrugged, "Like Ino,"

Ino's kimonos were often incredibly beautiful and had elaborate prints on them. And there aren't any kimonos like hers, since each one of them is made especially for her.

"Maybe you can go borrow one from Ino-sama?" Tenten suggested.

"Good idea!" Sakura grinned.

Sakura exited the okiya, running towards the now crowded streets of the Hidden Leaf Village. She passed by the Village Shrine and several teahouses, and it took a while before she got to the other side of the village. The rich noblemen and women of the Hidden Leaf lived in a different and secluded part of the village. It was calm here and there were no vendors, running children, or other people. There were only carriages and fine gentlemen riding on pearl white horses. They didn't even spare the walking girl a single glance.

She arrived at the Yamanaka's huge manor. She straightened out the wrinkles on her kimono before knocking. A servant girl, not even older than she is, opened the door.

"Hello," Sakura greeted as formally as she could, "Is Ino here?"

The girl nodded and told her to come in. Sakura sat down at one of the lavish sofas and accepted the cup of tea that was prepared for her. She heard Ino's voice from the second floor, "Tell that bastard to get lost!"

Then the servant girl's trembling voice rang out, "But…it's Haruno-sama…"

The second floor fell silent, then footsteps could be heard. Seconds later, Ino appeared at the foot of the stairs, looking as gorgeous as ever. "Sakura!"

"Hey, Ino,"

"Hey, sorry for earlier," The blond grinned, "I thought it was someone else,"

"No problem," Sakura laughed.

"So why are you here?" Ino asked, leaning back casually, looking regal and elegant.

"Sasuke-kun invited me to his Nii-sama's engagement party," Sakura replied.

"Hey! I was invited, too!" Ino looked genuinely pleased, "Thank god you're coming! I really get bored during parties like those,"

"Glad to be of service to the great Ino-pig-sama," Sakura smirked.

Ino stuck her tongue out at Sakura. It was of her many informal habits that she didn't dare show to the public. "Whatever Forehead-girl, what do you want?"

"I was wondering if I could borrow a kimono,"

"Sure you can," Ino replied, "I have tons of unused kimonos in my room. I can even give one to you if you want,"

And so the two girls spent the whole afternoon trying various colourful kimono in Ino's room. The young Yamanaka had a ridiculous amount of kimono with different prints and colours. One of them was a beautiful purple kimono printed with a small version of the entire Leaf Village. It was one of Ino's favourites, and one of the most expensive in her collection. There was also a light lavender kimono printed with wolfsbane flowers and crows. Finally, Sakura decided on a dark green one printed with a beautiful oriental village surrounded by yellow dots, which Sakura assumed were fireflies.

"You have nice taste, Sakura," Ino commented as she continued sipping on her cup of sake.

"Do you think it suits me?" Sakura asked, looking at her reflection on the mirror. "I think it suits you better, Ino,"

"Nonsense," Ino scoffed, "You look amazing,"

"And what are _you _wearing for tomorrow night?" Sakura inquired.

Ino dug even deeper into her huge wardrobe then held up a beautiful blood red kimono. It was printed with black wildflowers and flowing white leaves. It looked amazing on Ino especially after she secured her waist with a tight black obi. She twirled in front of Sakura and winked.

"So? What do you think?"

"You look amazing!" Sakura exclaimed, clapping her hands gleefully. While the satisfied blonde continued admiring herself at the mirror, Sakura looked down at herself. The kimono was beautiful. And the ochre obi was beautiful. But it would look even more beautiful when Ino was the one using it. Ino is always the better looking one when they're being compared. Sakura tried not to feel too down. At least her kimono was beautiful. It would somehow amplify her lack of physical beauty.

Sakura waved enthusiastically before closing the door behind her. She held the dark green kimono against her chest, trying to warm herself. The sun was setting rapidly and it was getting dark. Sakura lowered her head to attract minimal attention before hurrying along the dim street. She was getting near the residential area when someone pulled her arm. Remembering the night she was surrounded by those filthy noblemen, Sakura reacted by turning around and punching the daylights out of whoever it was that held her arm.

"Ouch! Ow ow…geez,"

Sakura blinked. The voice was familiar. She edged closer to the person she just socked in the face, and was shocked when she saw a mass of unruly blonde hair and azure blue eyes. It was—

"Naruto!" She exclaimed.

"Geez, Sakura-chan you didn't need to do that," The blonde held his hand against his swollen face.

"I'm sorry, Naruto," Sakura said, trying hard not to laugh.

"It's alright, It was my fault for startling you, anyway,"

"What are you doing out here this late?" Sakura asked, confused as to why someone like him was out at an hour like this. There were no shops open at this time. Only teahouses and whorehouses. Naruto did not strike Sakura as the filthy type of boy who would seek pleasure in whorehouses, nor was he the type to watch geisha performances. He did not really strike her as type who liked chasing beautiful women.

"Well, I was going home, but then I saw you walking around," Naruto shrugged. "So I followed you, and when I tried to get your attention, you socked me in the face,"

Sakura laughed, "I'm so sorry for that, Naruto,"

The blonde frowned as he continued holding his cheek, "This is gonna make a mark…"

Sakura raised her hand and held it against his cheek. The blond stopped and looked at her. His azure eyes were wide. Sakura smiled at him, "I'm really sorry, Naruto…"

"I-It's alright, Sakura-chan…"

The pink haired girl smiled at him. When she poked him in the arm, this snapped him out of his trance. He walked her all the way to the corner near the okiya before they parted ways. He stayed silently at the corner of the street, watching Sakura walk towards the okiya, then he left only when he was sure that she reached her home safely.

* * *

Sakura twirled in front of her mirror, then paused to study her reflection. She left her long hair loose down her back for the first time in forever. She gathered the hair that framed the side of her face to the back of her head before securing it with a simple green leaf hair ornament. She put on the dark green kimono and paired it with the ochre obi. She left her face clear of any makeup. Tonight, she didn't want to dress like a geisha. She wanted to look simple and elegant, like how Hyuga Hinata usually looks like. She wanted to create an illusion that she was a stunning noblewoman even for just one night.

The Uchiha manor was huge compared to the Yamanaka's. All of the lights were on that night, and it was the brightest house in the entire Hidden Leaf. The gardens were incredibly huge and beautiful. Bright paper lanterns floated on the beautiful ponds with pearl white water lilies. There were handsome men and beautiful women dressed in the most expensive looking clothes Sakura has ever seen.

She spotted Ino talking to a robust boy near the wide dinner table. She looked stunning and most of the males who walked past her always turned back for a second look. She was _that _stunning. She was Yamanaka Ino, after all.

"Ino!" Sakura called out.

The blond turned and waved at her. "Hello, Sakura!"

"This is Choji," Ino introduced the boy she was talking with, "Choji, this is Sakura,"

"Hello," Choji greeted her nicely, "Nice to meet you, Sakura-san,"

"You too, Choji-san," Sakura replied with a smile.

Apparently, Ino knew a lot of people in the party. Many young (and probably unmarried) men always stopped by to greet Ino and tell her how absolutely stunning she looked. Sakura felt like a wallflower with this stunning blond beauty by her side.

"Ino, you look gorgeous," A brown haired boy grinned at her.

"Why thank you, Kiba," Ino smiled, "And you're as sweet as ever,"

"Can't blame him," Another boy said, "Is it me, or do you look even more stunning than usual?"

"It's probably just you, Lee-san," Ino replied with a high, melodious laugh.

Sakura looked in awe at her bestfriend. Ino handled men like she handled her hair. Like an expert. She was probably used to this kind of attention. When the room suddenly became still, Sakura turned and saw that everyone was staring at the doorway of the manor. A young man with black hair and obsidian eyes entered. He was handsome but had a strange mysterious aura. He looked unapproachable and somehow dangerous. Uchiha Sasuke.

He walked across the room, not minding the sudden silence that took over when he entered. And when he passed by the place where Sakura and her friends were, he stopped.

He did not even give the stunning Ino a single glance. His eyes fell immediately on Sakura. His expression changed, and Sakura swore she almost saw him smile.

"You look beautiful, Sakura,"

And there it was. With that one single sentence, for the briefest moment, he made her feel a million times more beautiful than Ino Yamanaka.

* * *

**Oh~ the cheesiness at the ending XD Sorry I just couldn't help it! **

**Um. So it's already 2:00 in the morning. :P I think it's time for me to sleep now XD**

**IMPORTANT: You guys might want to check out the poll on my profile. :P I need your opinion regarding the story. PLEASE AND THANK YOU! :)**


	7. The Snake Closes In

**Chapter Seven: The Snake Closes In **

Sakura studied the interior of the Uchiha manor. She spotted a few expensive decorations, including a white antique vase painted with screaming blue mermaids. Their arms were raised and their faces were twisted in pure anguish, as if some invisible person was torturing them. Sakura pried her eyes away from the disturbing vase. It was painted by one of the seven great lords of the Land of Water, and all of them are very well known for being lovers of all kinds of pain. They were sadistic, masochistic, and just plain twisted. Sakura could not imagine living in a land ruled by such horrible people.

"Do you like it?"

Sakura turned and saw a young man who was probably the same age as her. His hair was dark brown and his eyes were a bit droopy, giving him a sleepy look.

"I think it's beautiful," Sakura replied, "The pictures are painted beautifully, but I don't like its sadistic nature. I guess twisted pictures like these are to be expected from one of the seven great lords of the Land of Water,"

"I'm surprised you actually know who painted it," The boy told her. "Most of the women I talk to compliment everything about the vase, saying how beautiful the details are and that they love how the artist used only blue. But in reality, they don't even know who painted it, nor do they know how horrible the pictures are. I thought you were one of them, but you have proven me wrong. I'm impressed,"

Sakura felt a surge of pride, and she smiled at him. "Thank you for the compliment. I am happy that I made a good impression on you. You don't seem half bad yourself,"

"I'm Nara Shikamaru," The boy informed her, "And you are?"

"Haruno Sakura," She replied smoothly.

Shikamaru was one of the scholars of the Land of Fire's only lord, Sarutobi Hiruzen. He appeared to have the same age as her and like most people their age, he was unmarried. But as a member of an important noble family, his parents were pressuring him to start seeking a wife. That was obviously the least thing Shikamaru wanted to do. Sakura envied him because he was being offered a chance to marry someone, unlike her who could only become a crush, an object of affection, or an idol for men. But never a wife. She has already sold herself to this kind of life. There was no turning back.

She moved farther away from Ino and her company to find where Sasuke went off to. She also wanted to talk to his older brother and his fiancée, to congratulate them.

"Young lady, you are blocking my way,"

Sakura turned and almost gasped. There was a man standing in front of her. His appearance was incredibly startling. His skin was pasty and pale, his eyes were too narrow, his eyeballs were in a sickly colour bordering somewhere between blue and purple, and his face was thin and angular. His hair was long and black and added to the overall oddness of his appearance. His voice was rather odd as well. And his way of speaking was very unflattering. It was almost as if he was hissing.

"Did you hear me, young lady? I said that you are blocking my way,"

Sakura snapped back to reality and quickly moved aside, "I'm sorry, sir,"

The man sniffed disdainfully, "What is your name, child?"

Sakura did not like where this was going. "Haruno Sakura, sir,"

"Haruno…" Her name sounded vile and venomous when he was the one saying it. "Whose court are you from?"

"None, sir," Sakura replied with a firm voice.

"Ah, a mere commoner, I presume?"

"You are correct, sir,"

The man looked at her with even more distaste than before. He thought she was worthless just because she wasn't a noble. This made Sakura's blood boil. When he was about to walk away, she opened her mouth without thinking.

"I believe it is improper to ask for someone's name without giving your own," She said loudly. The snake like man turned slowly and raised an eyebrow at her. Then he chuckled. His laugh made the hairs on Sakura's arm stand.

"Quite the feisty little girl, aren't you?" He laughed, obviously amused. "I am Orochimaru of the Land of Sound. Lord of the Land of Sound, to be precise,"

Sakura's green eyes widened. The Lord of the Land of Sound was standing right in front of her. And she was sure that he was already thinking up dozens of ways to make her feel even more worthless. But of course, it was not in Sakura's personality to just allow her ego to be flattened. She hid her shock and stared at him with the sort of cocky arrogance she usually sees on Ino's face whenever she is on her 'powerful-rich-lady' mode.

"I see. I expected that the Lord of the Land of Sound would be more well-mannered, though,"

Sakura was satisfied at the half-angry half-shocked look on Orochimaru's face. She held her chin up and walked away, but before she could make her second step, Orochimaru grabbed her arm and forced her to turn around.

"Ah, I think I remember you know," Orochimaru hissed, anger clouding his eyes. "Haruno Sakura, pink hair, green eyes, annoyingly confident personality…"

"You just stated the obvious," Sakura said impatiently, "Now will you let go of my arm?"

"You know who Karin is, don't you?" Orochimaru continued. At the sound of the red-haired lady's name, Sakura's confidence slowly slipped away. She did hear from Naruto that Miyazaki Karin was a rich and influential lady from the Land of Sound. And he did tell her that she was taken in by a rich and powerful person. And she did read in one of her books that the Lord of the Land of Sound was unmarried. And lastly, she knew that the Lord of the Land of Sound had one adopted daughter.

"I…"

"Let her go, Orochimaru,"

Both the Lord and the pink haired girl turned to the owner of the voice. Sasuke stood beside Orochimaru, clutching the back of his cloak. His face was surprisingly calm, but the snake like man did not miss the anger clouding his onyx eyes. Orochimaru released Sakura's arm and gave Sasuke a smooth smile. This caused a chilly feeling to rise inside both Sakura and Sasuke.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun," Orochimaru said in a low voice, "I apologize for the—"

"Hey! Sasuke-kun is _my_ nickname for him, so don't you dare—"

Sasuke quickly clamped a hand over the pink haired girl's mouth.

"This girl is my guest, Orochimaru," Sasuke said coldly, "I hope I won't see you holding her roughly again,"

"My, my, of course," Orochimaru nodded, a creepy smile still stuck on his face, "It was just…my way of acquainting myself with her. She is a fine looking lady. A very beautiful flower worthy to be added to the finest flower arrangement,"

"Mmmppff!" Sakura was still struggling to remove Sasuke's hand from her mouth. She wanted to make a witty insult to Orochimaru's latest statement, but Sasuke kept his hold on her tight.

"Yes, I agree with you,"

Orochimaru smiled. "I am off, then. I will see you again soon, Sasuke-kun,"

Sakura could feel Sasuke stiffening. She wasn't sure whether he was scared of that snake guy or if he was just grossed out by the affectionate nickname. Sakura guessed it was both.

Orochimaru was already a few meters away from them when he spoke, "Take good care of her, Sasuke-kun. It's always unsafe to leave a small bird on the ground before it even learns how to fly. You never know, a snake might be lurking not far behind,"

Sasuke stiffened at his last remark. Orochimaru lifted his hand and waved before disappearing back into the manor. Sakura felt his hand tighten on her shoulder and on her mouth. She gazed up at him worriedly.

"Sasuke-kun?" She said, but it sounded more like, "Fafuku-ku?"

He removed his hand from her mouth. Sakura placed her hand on his shoulder. "Sasuke-kun…?"

"Are you alright, Sakura?" He asked, brushing away her concern.

"Uh, yeah, but…" Sakura trailed away. She thought she saw fear in Sasuke's eyes just before Orochimaru left. She never saw him scared before. Just shaken and lonely, but never scared.

"Sasuke-kun, don't worry," Sakura assured him, "I'm sure that snake-guy won't be able to hurt you. You're safe here,"

_I'm more worried of what he might do to you, _Sasuke thought, but he didn't say it aloud. If he did, it might give Sakura some sort of strange ego boost. Instead he said, "You sure are ridiculously overconfident, today,"

"Of course!" Sakura beamed, "That ugly snake guy doesn't scare me,"

_But he knew Miyazaki Karin, _Sakura thought. She wanted to ask Sasuke about her, but she was afraid that he'd ask how she knew her. She didn't want Sasuke to know that she had a run in with Karin, especially since she didn't really like the red-haired lady. And she had a strong gut feeling that Karin didn't like her much either. It showed on her face whenever she spoke, no matter how much she tried to hide it.

"Sakura,"

She snapped out of her thoughts and turned to look at Sasuke, "Yes, Sasuke-kun?"

"If you see Orochimaru again, avoid him," Sasuke instructed her, "Don't try to talk to him or look him or do anything that requires coming near him. Make sure to avoid him at all times, and if he tries to talk to you, intimidate you, or even just look at you, make sure to tell me. Is that clear?"

"What if he tries to give me flowers and cake?" Sakura tried.

"I will send him to prison," Sasuke replied flatly.

"God, that's mean," Sakura wrinkled her nose. "What about if he gives me a pretty new kimono?"

Sasuke rubbed his forehead tiredly, "Sakura, I highly doubt that Orochimaru will give you a kimono,"

"But what if he does?" Sakura persisted stubbornly.

"Then don't take it!" Sasuke told her, annoyed, "I'll make sure to get you a much better one. Just don't take it!"

Sakura laughed. "You're so cute when you get annoyed,"

"Stop trying to flatter me. It won't work,"

Sakura sighed. "This party is boring…when is Naruto gonna show up?"

"That idiot is always late," Sasuke told her with a sigh, "If you're bored, I can take you to where Nii-san and his fiancée are,"

"Really?" Sakura's face brightened up.

Sasuke was amused by her eagerness. "Follow me,"

Itachi Uchiha and his bride-to-be, Nadeshiko Shimura, were tossing fish food in the biggest fish pond in the garden. They preferred to keep to themselves, away from the attention of the guests in the party. Sakura tagged along behind Sasuke until they got near the couple.

"Nii-san, Nadeshiko-san," Sasuke called out.

The older Uchiha turned to him, "Sasuke, is there something wrong?"

"Yes," Sasuke replied. He dragged Sakura with him and pointed to her, "One of your guests, the Lord of the Land of Sound, just threatened my guest here. You sure have a sick way of selecting your friends, Nii-san,"

At once, Itachi's face darkened, "Orochimaru is here?"

"Yes!" This time Sakura was the one who spoke up, "And I must say, he has rotten manners! So much for being an all powerful lord…and he was creepy! He keeps calling Sasuke-kun, Sasuke-kun!"

Itachi's troubled expression did not waver. The beautiful young lady by his side gave him a worried look, "Itachi…?"

"I'll be back," Itachi told her, removing her hand from his arm. He turned to Sasuke, "Sasuke, come with me,"

Sasuke nodded. He turned to Sakura, "Stay here,"

Sakura huffed indignantly, "Why are you leaving me out of this? I can help, you know! I'm not some worthless, helpless damsel that you need to protect! I want to go with you guys in case you need—"

"Sakura," Sasuke said sternly, "Right now I do need your help. I need you to stay here and—"

"Like I said, I want to—"

Sasuke cut her off. "I need you to stay here and take care of Nadeshiko-san! Make sure Orochimaru or someone else doesn't come near her. It's a tough job. Do you understand me, Sakura?"

She realized the importance of the job he was leaving her. Sakura grinned and saluted, "Of course, Sasuke-kun-sir!"

Sasuke smirked, "I trust you, you annoying idiot,"

Then the Uchiha brothers melted back into group of fancy dressed guests and were gone. Sakura turned back and walked over to where Nadeshiko was standing. She looked troubled and afraid, but not for herself. Sakura knew she was afraid for Itachi. The pink haired girl did her best to appear civilized and elegant.

"Hi…I'm Haruno Sakura, pleased to meet you, Nadeshiko-san,"

The young lady smiled, "Same here. Are you Sasuke-san's fiancée?"

Sakura grinned, obviously flattered. "No, I'm not. I'm a friend of his,"

"I see…" Nadeshiko nodded, apparently unconvinced. Then she smiled warmly, "So you're my bodyguard for tonight, right?"

"You can count on me!"

Nadeshiko looked around, "This part of the garden is a bit far away from the crowd. Should we go someplace else a little but more crowded? I think it'd be safer that way. For both of us,"

"But Itachi-san and Sasuke-kun are going to look for us here," Sakura told her. "It's best if we stay…at least they'll know where to find us,"

"I'm not going to argue with that," The lady shrugged and sat down on one of the large boulders by the pond. Sakura copied her by sitting on the one in front of her. It was dark, but the fishes on the ponds were visible because of the floating paper lanterns. Nadeshiko tossed some more fish food in the pond. At once, the fishes, both big and small, rushed towards the place where the food fell, and started splashing around.

Sakura's green eyes widened, "Wow…I've never seen a fish pond with this many fish in someone's garden, before. Are you sure they aren't going to eat each other? Cause those big ones might think those small ones are fish chow or something like that…"

Nadeshiko laughed, "No, those small ones are baby fishes. Someday they'll grow up to be big fishes, too. Parents will never eat their kids, right?"

"I suppose so…" Sakura watched as Nadeshiko tossed more fish food.

"Are you…going to marry Sasuke-san someday?" Nadeshiko asked.

Sakura nearly fell from the boulder, "Of course not! I mean…I…I'm a geisha…"

Nadeshiko stopped and stared at her. Her dark violet eyes examined her closely, then they relaxed again. "I see. I did not know. I apologize for any insult I might have implied,"

"No, it's alright," Sakura shrugged.

"So…you're really not going to marry?" Nadeshiko asked, "What about when you turn old? And your beauty wears off? How will you make money?"

"The okiya mistress saves some of our earnings," Sakura replied, "Then she surrenders it to us once we are unable to work. Or if I'm lucky, I'll have a rich Danna…"

"What's a Danna?" Nadeshiko asked, genuinely interested.

"If a geisha is lucky, a man might take interest her and request himself to be her Danna. A Danna is a sort of…husband for a geisha. Only that she can't choose him," Sakura explained, "But of course, a man can't be a Danna unless he's rich, because to become a geisha's Danna means paying for all of her expenses. Kimonos, food, living expenses…everything,"

"That's not a very good life," Nadeshiko commented. "It's kind of sad,"

"I can't have anything more than that," Sakura shrugged, "My experiences in life are going to be quite limited. But it's the life I chose,"

"I feel sorry for you," The older of the two said. And when Sakura looked up to meet her dark violet eyes, she saw real compassion. The pink haired girl looked down and tried to will back the hot tears that were building up behind her eyes.

Nadeshiko laughed, "Crying is not a shameful thing. If you don't pour out your feelings, you will explode from the inside."

Sakura grinned back, "If I cry now, my eyes will become red and swollen. I have to look my best right now. We are in a party, right?"

Nadeshiko nodded and smiled, "I won't argue with that,"

Nadeshiko was from the rich Shimura family. Her noble status was not as high as the Uchihas. She was probably on the same level as Ino. She was talented in many forms of art, including flower arrangement. Sakura watched with delight as Nadeshiko made a beautiful flower arrangement out of only the flowers growing in the garden.

"You're just as good as my friend Ino," Sakura exclaimed.

"You mean Yamanaka-san's daughter?"

"Yes," Sakura confirmed, "Do you know her?"

"Yes, I know her very well," Nadeshiko smiled, then she tilted her head to the side. "I didn't know you two were friends, though,"

"She's my bestfriend," Sakura informed her.

Nadeshiko looked genuinely puzzled, "Bestfriend…? Oh…that's…a bit strange…"

Sakura returned her confused look, "Strange? Why? We're childhood friends, even before I became a geisha…"

"Oh, I wasn't referring to your status as a geisha," Nadeshiko corrected, "I just…I just find it a bit strange, considering her feelings for Sasuke-san…"

Sakura stopped. She stared at Nadeshiko, still processing what she just said, "Feelings…? Ino has feelings for Sasuke-kun?"

Nadeshiko looked like she wanted to drown herself in the pond. "I did not know that you weren't aware. I thought…I just…forgive me Haruno-san, I hope this won't destroy your friendship with her…"

"No, of course not, Shimura-san!" Sakura assured her, "I was just—"

Sakura was cut off by a large explosion. Nadeshiko stood up, her eyebrows narrowed. The location of the explosion was far away from the Uchiha manor, but still, horror registered on Nadeshiko's eyes.

"What was that?" Sakura exclaimed, standing up. Thick smoke rose up from the ground like heavy black fog. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, "Whatever that was, I sure am glad it didn't happen near here,"

Then Sakura noticed Nadeshiko's troubled expression, "Shimura-san…?"

"That's…"

"That's what?"

"That's Lord Sarutobi's manor!"

Sakura's eyes widened. She turned her gaze back to the explosion, and a strange feeling filled her chest when the smoke cleared and revealed the seal of the Land of Fire embedded in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi's manor. Nadeshiko clenched her hands into fists.

Sakura noticed, and turned to her with a worried look, "Nadeshiko-san…?"

"Is this really how far they would go?" Hot tears were spilling down her cheeks. Her eyes burned with anger, "Blowing up the house of a kind old man like this. Lord Hiruzen has never been anything but kind to us! How could they…"

"Who are they?" Sakura asked, feeling her hands curl up into fists as well.

"Akatsuki," The black haired girl replied, "I know who they are because Itachi used to work for them. He told me something like this would happen, but I never would have expected this…"

Sakura was about to say something else, but then, Sasuke burst in through the bushes. He wasn't hurt, but he looked distressed.

"Sasuke-kun!—"

"Sakura!" Sasuke interrupted her, "Don't worry, we're going to take care of them! Nii-san and I are on it,"

"Who are they, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked. She was panicking, "What do they want?"

"They're people from other countries," Sasuke told her hurriedly, "But I need you to do something for me,"

Sakura caught the seriousness in his eyes, and she nodded, "I'll do anything,"

"Keep Nadeshiko-san safe," Sasuke told her, "Nii-san has some connections with the people who blew up Lord Sarutobi's manor, and they have other plans, too. They also want to force Nii-san back into their organization, but as you can see, that will take quite a lot. Nii-san is afraid that they might try to use Nadeshiko-san against him, so he sent me back here to keep her safe,"

"But you want to go with him and help him," Sakura said, showing him that she understood.

Sasuke nodded, "Yes, you're right. That's why I need you to keep her safe for me,"

"But Sasuke, what can I do against a group of men? I—"

"I trust you,"

That was all he said before he left once again, pushing through the group of startled and panicking guests. Sakura turned and saw Nadeshiko sitting down on the boulder, looking shaken. Sakura wasted no time grabbing both of her hands and pushing her further into the dark parts of the garden, away from the panicking crowd. Sasuke trusted Nadeshiko's life to her. The group of evil men that raided the Lord of the Land of Fire's manor was after this innocent young lady. But no, they won't be able to land even a single finger on Nadeshiko. Not as long as she was alive.

* * *

**I promise there will be a sasusaku moment in the next chapter XD sorry for depriving you of your sasusaku needs, but I wanted the main antagonists to come out already! XD **

**Thank you for all of your kind reviews. I REALLY APPRECIATE THEM! :D**


	8. The Cherry Blossom's Resolve

**Chapter Eight: The Cherry Blossom's Resolve**

The streets were dark and the wind was chilly. Nadeshiko shivered underneath her thin kimono. The kimono she used was an elegant dark purple one, not fit for going outside during cold evenings, but when the young lady was picking out her clothes for the party, she couldn't have anticipated that she would be running away like a fugitive on that fateful night. If she had, she would have picked a much thicker kimono. Thankfully, the kimono that Ino lent Sakura was considerably thick, so the pink haired girl didn't mind the cold that much.

"Let's stop for a while, Sakura-san," Nadeshiko said. "I need to catch my breath…"

"We can't stop right now!" Sakura told her, "We're in the middle of the street! If any of those foreign men show up, they'll spot us immediately! It's too risky, Nadeshiko-san!"

But Sakura was also tired. Her body may be safe from the cold, but she had to raise her kimono to her ankles while running, and the cold wind was nipping painfully at her feet. And she was also almost out of breath. Nadeshiko was right. They had to stop.

When they reached the western main bridge, Sakura helped Nadeshiko get underneath it. It was dark and damp and the sound of the strong river water was frightening, but at least they won't be spotted so easily. When Sakura told Nadeshiko to crawl in further under the bridge, the lady did not complain, even though the place smelled like dirty river water. They sat down side by side, trying to calm their racing heartbeats. Nadeshiko looked very calm, but Sakura looked the opposite. Even the slightest sound made her sharp green eyes dart here and there like a hawk.

Nadeshiko placed a hand on her shoulder, "Sakura-san, we can rest easy here. It's dark, and the sound of the rushing river will conceal our voices. Please don't worry,"

"I'm just…afraid," Sakura admitted, "Not for me. But for you. Sasuke-kun entrusted you to me. I don't want to let him down,"

"And you won't!" Nadeshiko assured her, "They won't be able to catch us so easily,"

Sakura nodded, but the fear was still building inside her chest. They rested underneath the bridge for half an hour to regain their strength. And that's when they heard voices and saw yellow lights coming from lanterns. Some people were crossing the bridge above them. Sakura put her index finder in front of her lips to tell Nadeshiko to stay silent.

"I dunno, that's just what Leader told me," Sakura heard one voice say. It sounded like a man's. A young man's. Probably not much older than she was.

"And you didn't ask for more information, un?" Another voice said, "You really are an idiot, un,"

"Shut up, Deidara! As if you're any better!"

"It's all that Itachi's fault that we're missing all the fun. Now we're stuck with this boring chore, un,"

"Stop whining. Let's just find the girl, then we can go and join the fight,"

"Easy for you to say, un. We don't even have any leads,"

"She's wearing a dark purple kimono. If we narrow it down to that, then we can find her in no time,"

Sakura waited until the strangers' voices faded into the distance and the yellow lights from their lamps disappeared. Sakura sat back down, holding her hand to her chest. So they _were _chasing Nadeshiko. And they even knew what the colour of her kimono was. This was dreadful. Awfully dreadful. They would have to hide more carefully now.

"Sakura-san…"

"Nadeshiko-san, they won't catch you," Sakura assured her. "You don't have to worry,"

Nadeshiko shook her head, "No, I'm worried about you. You should leave me while you can. If you don't, they might take you, too."

"Sasuke-kun entrusted you to me," Sakura said sternly, "I promised him I would take care of you,"

"But—"

"Just because they know the colour of your kimono doesn't mean all hope is lost," Sakura grinned, an idea flashed in her mind. She started tugging on her obi, shaking it loose until it fell to the ground. Then she removed her kimono, letting it fall to the ground as well.

Nadeshiko stopped her, "Sakura-san! Do you plan to jump in the river?"

"No," Sakura grinned, "Take off your kimono, too, Nadeshiko-san,"

"But why?"

"Just do it,"

The black haired lady agreed and started tugging her obi loose, too. When they were both left in only their white inner robes, Sakura held her green kimono out to Nadeshiko. The lady stared at it, confused, "Why are you giving this to me?"

"They are looking for a girl wearing a purple kimono, right?" Sakura said with a sly smirk, "Then if we trade kimonos…"

"Sakura-san! That's dangerous!" Nadeshiko protested.

Sakura grabbed Nadeshiko's purple kimono and put it on. Then she pushed the green one into Nadeshiko's trembling hands. "Just put it on, Nadeshiko-san,"

The black haired girl put it on hesitantly then fastened the ochre coloured obi around her waist. Sakura ordered Nadeshiko to leave her hair unornamented to attract less attention. Sakura's bright pink hair was probably a dead giveaway, but it didn't seem like the foreign men knew what Nadeshiko's hair colour was. So Sakura twisted her silky pink hair into a bun and secured it with Nadeshiko's expensive sapphire hair ornaments.

"You're going to attract a lot of attention with my hair ornaments on your head," Nadeshiko said worriedly, "Those are large blue sapphires and they will surely glimmer even in the dark. You should leave your head unornamented as well, Sakura-san,"

"That's what the whole point is," Sakura said, "I have to draw all of the attention to myself. You have to look as plain as possible,"

Nadeshiko brought her hands to hair silky black hair, "But what about my hair?"

"I don't think they know what your hair colour is," Sakura shrugged, "I think they'll go for me if they ever see us. After all, it seems like their basis on your appearance is your violet kimono,"

"Okay…so what do we do now?" Nadeshiko asked.

"Let's go somewhere safe," Sakura said, wrapping herself with her thin arms. Now that she was wearing Nadeshiko's thin kimono, she could feel the cold seeping into her arms and legs. The black haired lady, on the other hand, looked perfectly comfortable in Sakura's much thicker kimono, but she looked guilty.

"I'm sorry that the kimono is so thin," She said, letting her gaze drop to the damp floor.

"It's alright," Sakura said, "The most important thing right now is for us to find a safe place where you can hide,"

The two girls clambered up back to the street. The hems of their kimono were streaked with the damp dirt from the bottom of the bridge, and so were their wooden sandals.

"So…where should we go?" Nadeshiko asked, looking around nervously. But the village was dark and still. The only noise around came from the rushing of the fierce river water and the sound of tree branches swishing in the chilly evening breeze.

"To the place where I live," Sakura said, "The Miyazaki okiya. The mistress there will beat me if she finds out that I attended a party, but she will protect you. Hanaoki has this thing for rich people. You should just promise to pay her a large amount after all of this is over and I assure you, she will do everything in her power to make sure you stay safe,"

Nadeshiko smiled grimly, "Your mistress is a money hungry woman,"

Sakura sighed. "Well, at least she's reliable,"

They continued walking. They were still a long way from the Miyazaki okiya, but they made sure to stay away from well-lit streets. They needed to brave the dark, deserted alleys right now. Normally, Sakura would not have chosen this route. Lots of rogue men and thieves often camp out here late at night, and it was a dangerous place for even a grown man to wander around, let alone a pair of shivering young girls. But she was fairly sure that the foreign men were not familiar with the shortcuts in the village, so they would be safer this way.

By the time Sakura realized she was wrong, it was too late.

Further into the dark, deserted alley, were two figures, holding lamps that emitted a dreary yellow light that looked almost green. They were heading towards them. Nadeshiko clamped her hands tightly against her mouth, her violet eyes were watering. Sakura felt hot tears building up behind her green eyes as well, but she willed them back. A small part of her wanted to curl up into a small little ball on the ground. But then she saw Nadeshiko, and her wide, frightened, violent eyes. And at that moment, Sakura knew exactly what she was supposed to do.

_I'm not cry-baby Sakura anymore!_

Sakura clutched Nadeshiko's arm and dragged her along as she turned and ran back to the main street. It felt like an eternity before the bright yellow lamps from the main street came into view. Sakura faced Nadeshiko, her determined green eyes stared straight at the other girl's frightened violent ones.

"Nadeshiko-san, if you go further ahead, there will be a fork road. Pick the one on the left and follow it. You will reach a yellow apartment and a friend of mine lives on room four. You can trust him, now go!"

"What about you?" Nadeshiko asked, grabbing her hands.

"I'll make it!" Sakura assured her, "Now go!"

She pushed the girl away with all her strength. Nadeshiko stumbled, but got back up, and with one last look back at Sakura, she hitched her kimono up to her knees and made a run for it. Sakura ditched the wooden sandals on the ground, for they only hindered her feet, then she hitched her kimono up before running the other way. When she looked back, two young men were chasing her.

_Good, they thought I was Nadeshiko-san, _Sakura smiled, despite the situation she was in. She did not even know where she was going. All that mattered was leading them as far away from Nadeshiko as she could. By the time they catch up to her, Nadeshiko would be safe in Naruto's home. For a minute there, she regretted that she left her wooden shoes. Without them, she could run faster than usual, but the sharp stones on the street were cruel to her bare feet. She must have stepped on a piece of broken glass because a stabbing pain shot up from her foot all of a sudden. She could feel something warm and wet beneath her feet.

_Blood, _Sakura thought. Her feet were bleeding. The pain was getting worse, and Sakura bit her lower lip, trying her best to endure it. The cold was also seeping into her thin kimono, making her arms and legs numb. The chilly wind nipped painfully at her feet. She felt numb all over. Sakura stumbled, but pushed herself back up. Just a little bit further. She had to buy Nadeshiko some time.

After a few more meters, Sakura's numb legs reached their limit, and she would have tumbled to the cold, grimy street if it weren't for the strong arms that grabbed her roughly. Sakura willed herself to look at the faces of her captors, and then gave them the coldest glare she could muster.

"This girl is something else, un," One of the boys said. He had blond hair and his long bangs covered one of his cerulean blue eyes. Right beside him stood a boy with brick red hair and alluring brown eyes. "She's not even panicking, un. And she had the guts to glare at us. I think I understand why Itachi chose her over us,"

The blond boy chuckled, then received an annoyed glare from his red-haired partner. "Don't get too carried away, Deidara. We have to get her back to Leader and Lady Angel immediately. I don't want to make them wait,"

"You're quite the impatient bastard, aren't you?" Deidara continued chuckling. It didn't seem like he meant what he said. It was almost like a brotherly banter.

_Their way if fighting is a little bit like Naruto and Sasuke-kun, _Sakura thought. _I hope Sasuke-kun is doing better than I am…and I hope Nadeshiko-san reached Naruto's home safely…_

"You're coming with us, Shimura-san," The red-haired boy said calmly.

"Don't worry, un," Deidara grinned, "Sasori and I are gentlemen. We'll treat you like the high class lady that you are,"

Their efforts to be hospitable were only rewarded by a cold glare from Sakura.

"Tch, and we were trying so hard to be nice," Deidara scoffed. He placed his forefinger under Sakura's chin and forced her to look up, "Listen, you're our hostage now, whether you like it or not,"

"You are a shallow low-life," Sakura spat, glaring daggers at him with her green eyes, "Nothing more than a cruel, foolish bastard who blows up innocent old men's homes and chases down helpless girls! I'm surprised you even call yourself a man! So get your filthy hands off of me!"

"How dare you—!"

"Enough, Deidara," Sasori cut in, looking extremely bored. "If you're going to fight her back, then you'll just prove her words,"

Deidara snorted, "Easy for you to say. She didn't call you filthy, un,"

"Maybe because you _are _filthy,"

"Hey! Take that back you bastard!"

_These people are so immature, _Sakura resisted the urge to roll her eyes. _I'm surprised they even got this far with that childish behaviour of theirs._

Sakura winced as the cold air breezed around her ankles. Her foot was still bleeding and her muscles were numb from all the running. She was powerless right now. But when Deidara and Sasori tried to drag her away, she managed to ignore the stabbing pain in her arms to punch the blond boy as hard as she could on his face. Deidara stumbled back a few steps, clutching his jaw. His face was red and blood trickled from the corners of his mouth. Sakura's friends always told her she had unusual strength for a girl, and it looks they were right.

"Damn," Deidara muttered, wiping the blood away, "You're pretty strong for a girl,"

Sasori clutched both of her arms. She could not resist for long because she was already numb because of the cold and partly because she was afraid. "Let me go! Leave me alone! You're a bastard! You're both bastards! I'll make sure you pay for this! I will break your jaws one by one if I have to!"

Her screams were loud enough to be heard all over the block, but still, nobody came. All of the civilians must have already evacuated the village. Sasori found himself smirking, "You really are something else, Nadeshiko Shimura. Instead of screaming for help, you're screaming threats to us,"

"Maybe if you beg, we'll let you go," Deidara smirked. Sakura resisted the urge to shudder. There was strange, sadistic edge to his voice. She found it very uncomfortable. But if she was afraid, she didn't to let it show.

"I don't intend to beg," Sakura spat at him, her green eyes narrowed into slits, "Come close to me and I will make that punch mark on your face deeper,"

Deidara scowled. This time, he got angry. He got closer to her and bunched up her pink hair into his fists. He dragged it upwards and smirked as a pained noise escaped Sakura's lips. "You think just because you're a girl we'll spare you? Don't assume that for even just a second. If we kill you here it won't matter. We can just tell our leader that it was all just…an accident,"

His lips curved into a cruel smile. Sakura's heart started beating faster. She was starting to get afraid. Her green eyes widened when Deidara pulled out a long blade. The tip brushed the side of Sakura's neck. She held her breath. Then she felt the blade graze the soft skin on her neck. She felt something warm trickle down to her shoulders.

Blood.

"I will kill you right here, little girl," Deidara said in a low voice, "And no one will ever know,"

Sakura was afraid, but she said, "Go ahead. I am not afraid,"

Sasori groaned, "Deidara, if you plan to kill her, just get on with it already. I do not like to be kept waiting,"

"Sure, sure, let's just make it slower this time," Deidara told him, "She punched me jaw and it still hurts like hell. I want to make her feel thrice the pain,"

Sakura's eyes felt hot. She knew she was going to cry. She did not want to die, especially not like this. But she couldn't cry. Not in front of these people. She wanted to be brave until her last moments. At least this way, she would be remembered as someone who sacrificed herself to save another person. It was a noble thing to do. But she still felt horribly empty inside. She looked behind her, hoping that someone would arrive, but she saw only darkness.

"Let's get this started with," Deidara said, a manic look entering his eyes. Sasori kept his hold on her arms tighter, even though she did not even resist.

When Sakura felt the cold blade press against her skin, she closed her eyes and tried to think of something else, anything but the searing pain and the warm flow of blood that was making its way to her chest. She felt the blade rip the chest part of her kimono. She still had her inner robe, and she was dying anyway. Someone seeing her naked was the least of her worries. This time, Deidara cut her near her collarbone. It was painful, so she screamed. She felt afraid and cold and alone. She willed herself to pass out.

_Pass out, pass out, pass out, _she chanted inside her head, _Pass out before the pain gets worse._

When Deidara cut her again, this time on the arm, she bit her lip to stifle another scream. Her eyes were still closed, but she could feel herself falling unconscious. She felt a sudden surge of relief. _Yes, fall unconscious, now, now, please pass out, _she thought. Then when the next cut came, this time, on the leg, the pain was even greater, but it still wasn't enough to make her scream.

_Pass out, pass out, pass out, _she almost begged herself. _Please! Please pass out before the tears come, _she willed her tears to stay inside her eyes. Then she decided to think about something that will soothe her. That will help her fall unconscious.

_Sasuke, sasuke, sasuke, sasuke, _she thought over and over in her mind, _Sasuke, sasuke, sa—_

"Sakura!"

Her green eyes opened instantly. She felt Sasori's hands loosen their grip on her. Sakura fell to the ground due to the lack of support. She could not see what was going on, except that someone was fighting Deidara and Sasori. Sakura's eyelids were starting to get heavy. Something warm and wet touched her leg. She forced her vision to clear. It was a human's hand.

Suddenly, every limb in her body fell limp, and she lay down on the ground, memories of Deidara's blade on her skin still haunting her.

When Sakura woke up, it was cold and hard and every part of her body ached. But she felt something warm touch her face. When her vision cleared, she saw Sasuke's face. His calloused hands were on her cheeks. Immediately, every ache in her body, every horrible memory, every bad thing she felt melted away when her green eyes found his onyx ones. Relief flooded her, and she closed her eyes. She was safe now.

"You idiot," Sasuke rasped, "What were you doing?"

"I was protecting Nadeshiko-san," Sakura replied. Her voice was faint and weak.

Sasuke was about to say something, but he stopped. Instead, he let his face fall towards her, making their foreheads touch. Their eyelashes brushed against each other whenever they blinked. For a few minutes, they just stayed that way. She ignored Sasori and Deidara's dead bodies lying a few feet away. She ignored the wind that nipped painfully on her wounded feet. She ignored the fact that the chest part of her kimono was ripped off. She ignored the bleeding wounds on her neck, legs and arms. She just stared up at Sasuke's onyx eyes, feeling their eyelashes brush against each other. Then she closed her eyes. She was home.

* * *

**Ehehe…very late update, I know. =_= I'm sorry guys I hope you don't mind. And I hope you enjoyed this chapter :D I have school now, so I can't update quickly.**

**BTW, do you guys have accounts in Deviantart? :D Let's be friiieeennnddsss! XD **


	9. The Missing Heir

**Chapter Nine: The Missing Heir **

Sakura sat on a lush sofa in a huge living room. Sitting on the couch across from her was a beautiful but tired looking lady. Her face was pale, her eyes were red from lack of sleep, and her soft hands kept clasping and unclasping each other. She was Uchiha Mikoto, Sasuke and Itachi's mother. Sakura closed her eyes, memories of last night still flooding her mind. Suddenly, a guard entered with a sword in hand. The sight of the slender blade made the hairs on her arms stand on an end.

"Calm down, Sakura," Ino, who was sitting beside her, said. "You're in the Uchiha manor right now. Nobody can hurt you here,"

Sakura nodded. Her mouth was too dry. She didn't speak.

Right after a few more guards entered, they were followed by a frail looking lady. Her hands were clasped together in front of her, and they were shaking. Her black hair was in disarray, and her dark green kimono was crumpled slightly. Even so, she still looked as elegant and beautiful as ever.

"Nadeshiko-san," Sakura managed to find her voice, though it sounded weak.

The lady looked up, and her eyes lit up. But then she saw the bandages tied on Sakura's arms, legs and neck, and her eyes fell to the pink-haired girl's ruined kimono. Nadeshiko gave Sakura a soft smile. The pity in her eyes was so evident, that Sakura felt ashamed. She knew she should be proud of herself for aiding the escape of an important lady, but she only felt shame. If only she managed to run away from those two foreign men, she wouldn't look so pathetically beat up.

"Smile, will you," Sakura looked up and saw that Mikoto was speaking to her, "Don't hang your head like that. You have the gratitude of everyone in my family, and everyone in the Shimura clan. You did well, dear,"

When Itachi Uchiha entered, Sakura saw Nadeshiko sigh in relief. She knew that the black-haired lady had been worried about Itachi even when they were already being hunted down by the foreign men. Nadeshiko may have been raised in a wealthy family, but she was kind and selfless and devoted to her loved ones. Just like Itachi himself. Sakura looked at them as they flashed subtle smiles at each other.

"I am glad you're safe, dear," Mikoto said as she stood up to hug Nadeshiko.

"I had the best bodyguard," Nadeshiko said, her violet eyes flitted to Sakura for a moment. The ends of Sakura's mouth lifted up into a smile.

When Sasuke entered the room, Sakura's heart skipped a bit. He looked tired and weary and he continued to brush his black hair back from his forehead in a stressed out way. Ino's grip tightened around her hand. Sakura now knew that Ino had feelings for him as well. Should she get mad? Should she feel hurt that Ino hid such an important thing from her? But the feeling of her blond bestfriend's soft palms on her hands made Sakura know the answer immediately. They were bestfriends. They shouldn't fight.

Sakura squeezed Ino's hand back reassuringly.

"Are you alright, Sakura? Ino?" Sasuke asked, directing his gaze to them. They both nodded in an absentminded way. Then to Sakura's surprise, the door opened and a familiar blond boy with blue eyes burst in.

"Sakura-chan!" He exclaimed and bounded towards her with a worried look, "Hey! Are you hurt? What happened? Are you feeling okay now?"

"I'm okay now," Sakura smiled tiredly, "Thank you for taking care of Nadeshiko-san, Naruto,"

Naruto scratched his cheeks, feeling embarrassed, "I wanted to run after you when she said that you were in danger, but she fainted on my doorstep so I had to take care of her. She was burning with fever that night,"

"It's alright," Sakura nodded, "My goal that night was Nadeshiko-san's safety. It didn't matter if something bad happened to me,"

"Sakura-chan…"

Everyone in the room was looking at her. She was holding back tears. The prospect of being near death still seemed unbelievable to her. She was minutes away from being killed. It haunted her, just thinking about it. Nadeshiko was also doing her best to will back her tears. Sakura knew that Nadeshiko was twice as afraid as her during that night. But she knew that the black-haired lady was only doing her best to keep her fears at bay. Now that they were both safe, everything still seemed like a surreal nightmare.

Sakura covered her face with her hands and let all the tears flow. Nadeshiko did the same right after.

* * *

The guest room in the Uchiha manor was huge. Sakura was sitting on a wooden chair in front of a long mirror framed with delicately carved wood. She examined her features. There were a few bruises on her cheeks, but there was nothing that makeup couldn't cover. Her eyes had dark circles beneath them, and she thought that her eyelids looked rather droopy and tired. Her skin looked unnaturally pale and ashen and her lips looked uncharacteristically dry.

The door opened and Ino stepped in. She was already wearing a brand new kimono. This time, it was just plain purple with a white obi. Her long silky hair was tied up to a thick bun, secured with a white ribbon and a small cosmos flower hair ornament. Sakura wasn't used to seeing Ino wearing such simple clothes and ornaments, but she looked stunning anyway. Ino smiled and lifted her hands. She was holding a light pink kimono.

"Found this in my closet," Ino said, "I thought it'd suit you,"

"Thanks, Ino," Sakura replied. She took the kimono gratefully and wore it over her white inner robe. The kimono was plain pink with a red obi. Then she braided her pink hair and tied it with a white ribbon. She left it unornamented. Sakura looked at the mirror and smiled. She looked rather simple but she liked it. It made her feel more normal. Standing out has always never been her forte. That was Ino's specialty. Sakura always preferred to keep herself in the background, but when she got her job as a geisha, her confidence slowly improved.

"You look great," Ino smiled.

"Thanks, you too," Sakura held up the violet kimono that belonged to Nadeshiko, and frowned at it. There was a huge gash on the chest part and the hems were torn.

"It's such a waste," Ino frowned, "It's a really beautiful kimono…"

"Nothing much we can do about it," Sakura shrugged. She inwardly debated whether she should throw it away or keep it. It was ruined after all. It would only eat up space in her wardrobe. But for no special reason, she wanted to keep it. Sakura draped it on her bed and turned to Ino.

"Any idea about what's happening downstairs?"

Ino shrugged, "They're having a meeting right now. Lord Hiruzen Sarutobi is dead…and they're looking for a new ruler to run the Land of Fire,"

"Perhaps they will choose Asuma Sarutobi-sama," Sakura said, "He was Lord Hiruzen's nephew, right? I think they'll choose him,"

"There's still Sarutobi Konohamaru," Ino informed her, "He's Lord Hiruzen's grandson,"

"But he's barely even ten!"

"So what? This land was probably signed under his name a long time ago!"

"He's just a kid!"

"But he's Lord Hiruzen's grandson!"

"That really doesn't make much of a difference,"

"Yes it does!" Ino put in stubbornly. "And besides, Asuma-sama doesn't seem to want the position anyway. The elders already asked him, and he said it should go to someone else. And there's no one here related to Lord Hiruzen except Konohamaru!"

Sakura sighed, rubbing her forehead with her fingers. A ten year old kid as the ruler of the Land of Fire? The elders would be completely retarded to let something like that happen. Just then, another idea flashed inside Sakura's head, "Hey Ino! Do you remember Lady Tsunade?"

Ino nodded, "That beautiful healer who raises tons of slugs? I sure do,"

"She's the granddaughter of the first Lord of the Land of Fire," Sakura said, "And she's also old enough to run an entire country. It should definitely be her,"

Ino snorted, "Lady Tsunade ran away from the Land of Fire exactly because of that reason. She did not want to have anything to do with the royal family in this country. She's been travelling around for about ten years now and no one knows her exact location,"

Sakura's shoulders slumped, "Not even her closest friends…?"

Ino shook her head, "As far as I know, Lady Tsunade has never been close with anyone in the village except for one of her apprentices, Shizune-san. And also with her deceased little brother, and with her lover, who has also passed away. Shizune-san is travelling with Tsunade-san, so…."

Ino trailed off. Sakura didn't feel the need to question Ino's information. The blond Yamanaka was a member of one of the highest noble families in the Land of Fire, and her knowledge about the royal family and their private affairs was as wide as the horizon compared to Sakura's. The two girls decided to play a game of shogi with the shogi board they found inside the dresser drawer. When the sun began to set, Ino excused herself.

"I should be heading home," Ino informed her, "Dad got all paranoid this morning when I left to come here. Something's telling me that he'll overreact if I don't go home soon,"

Sakura nodded. With the horrible events that happened last night, it was only natural for Inoichi Yamanaka to fear for his only daughter's safety. Ino seemed to realize this too, because she did not even complain about her dad's overprotective tendencies like she used to. Sakura walked Ino to the gate of the Uchiha manor and watched her get in her carriage. The pink haired girl waved cheerily until the carriage was out of sight. Sakura turned and was about to head back inside, but then she saw the blooming flowers in the garden and decided to take a walk instead.

The garden of the Uchiha manor was huge and beautifully landscaped. There were different kinds of flowers, all with different sizes, shapes and colours. There was also an enormous marble fountain at the far end. Water sprouted from the topmost part then rained down on the four lower layers until they reached the lowest part of the fountain where beautiful white lilies floated. Standing in front of the fountain was a dark-haired, dark-eyed boy.

"Sasuke-kun,"

Sasuke looked up, eyes alert and his expression well-guarded. When he saw Sakura, the stern look in his face melted into a relaxed, and almost affectionate look. "Good afternoon, Sakura,"

"Did the meeting go well?" She asked.

"Not really," Sasuke informed her, "Everything's in disarray…completely unorganized. It's like Sarutobi-sama was the pillar that held the entire council together, and when he died, everything just fell apart. Now the elders can't make a decent decision. They can't even have a single meeting without arguing and blaming each other,"

Sakura sighed, "It sounds like everything is all messed up,"

"Indeed it is," Sasuke muttered, "It's only at times like this that I wish father were here…he'd make everything alright. He'd be able to shape up the council immediately,"

"Where _is _your father?" Sakura asked.

"Who knows?" Sasuke said darkly, "He said he'll be going to the Land of Wind for a meeting…but honestly, sometimes, I don't feel like that's the case,"

"What do you mean?" Sakura kept going on with her questions. It was quite rare for Sasuke to spill out his personal secrets like this. Now that he was on a roll, Sakura was determined to extract as much information as possible.

"I just…don't trust him. I don't know why…I just…" Sasuke looked completely frustrated. Like he had something important to say, but couldn't find the right words to use. "He's just never around anymore. He's just running all over the place, leaving us with the same reasons over and over again. He doesn't seem to have time for Mom anymore. And sometimes, when he sees Nii-san, there's something in his eyes. Something I don't like,"

Sakura didn't know what to say. She wasn't even sure what he meant, so she just stayed silent. They stood side by side in utter silence for a few minutes before he spoke again, "I should apologize,"

She looked at him, confused, "For what?"

"For not getting there on time," Sasuke's onyx eyes flashed guiltily to the bruise on her neck that was poking out from underneath her light pink kimono.

"Trust me, you got there on time," Sakura assured him.

Sasuke still looked guilty, "If you say so,"

They stayed silent again. The sun was just beginning to set, painting the sky with beautiful red and orange hues. Dozens of birds flew by, flapping their wings smoothly, heading towards the other side of the sky. Sakura smiled as the wind caressed her face, feeling like soft but cold fingers on her skin. She opened her eyes and saw Sasuke glancing at her. She raised a pink brow, "Yes?"

"Nothing," He shrugged, "Just thinking about something,"

"About your father?"

He looked uncomfortable, "Yes, something like that,"

Sakura smiled at him, a sight that was beginning to affect him in ways he couldn't understand. He shifted uncomfortably, but Sakura didn't seem to notice.

"Thanks, by the way," She smiled, "For helping me last night,"

He shrugged, "Thank you, too,"

She gave him a quizzical look, "For what…?"

He was silent for a while, then he said, "Sometimes, I forget who I really am. I always get overshadowed by my father and my brother, and I always try hard to become more like them, that sometimes…I just forget who I am. I keep on forgetting that I'm Sasuke because I try so hard to become an Uchiha," He sighed, "But for some reason, you always remind me. When I'm with you, I feel like I'm just Sasuke. Not the son of Uchiha Fugaku. _Just _Sasuke,"

Sakura blinked a few times, trying to process what he said. "You'll always be Sasuke-kun to me. I won't remember you as a rich, noble, smart, gentlemanly Uchiha. I'll remember you as a grouchy, mean and insensitive brat. I'll remember you as you. As Sasuke,"

Sasuke was surprised by what she said that he didn't have the sense of mind to scold her for calling him mean, grouchy and insensitive. Instead, he only looked at her, "Why do you always know exactly what to say?"

"I'm trained for that," Sakura smirked, "Geisha are trained to beguile even the most powerful men. That's why men don't trust us easily. For all you know, I may have been lying to you just now,"

Sasuke just smirked, "I keep on forgetting,"

"Forgetting what?"

"That you're a geisha," He replied, "Sometimes you act just like a sister to me,"

Sakura blinked, "A sister?"

"Yes, a sister," Sasuke looked amused, "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," Sakura said, then focused her gaze on the scenery in front of her once again.

Sasuke held back a smirk, as he did the same. The silence stretched on for a few minutes, then Sakura excused herself. "I should be getting back to my room to pack my things. Hanaoki-sama will be expecting me to return this evening or early tomorrow morning. I can't really risk another beating from her with the state I am right now," She laughed weakly as she raised her thin arms, white bandages peeking from underneath her sleeve. Sasuke watched them guiltily.

"Alright," He said, "You can ask the maids for help if you want,"

"Will do,"

* * *

When Sakura woke up, she saw the familiar walls of her bedroom. Her sheets smelled like cherry blossoms and wildflowers. Like her. She got up and looked around. Her wooden dresser was at the corner, filled with boxes of makeup brushes and wax. She was back home now, in the okiya. She certainly would have liked to wake up in the Uchiha manor, but today wasn't the time to daydream. She got up and washed her face. She had to get back to work now.

A soft knock on her door startled her, "Come in,"

A girl with brown hair and brown eyes peeked in. Sakura smiled, "Hi, Tenten-san,"

"Sakura-san," She stepped in and walked towards the pink haired girl, eyes falling hesitantly to her bandaged arms and neck. "Are you feeling better?"

"Much better," Sakura assured her, "Although I have to say, I am much more disturbed by Hanaoki-sama than my wounds. I hope she believed that flimsy story,"

Tenten only grinned. Last night, Hanaoki watched with unexplained horror as Lady Uchiha Mikoto herself inexplicably appeared in front of the okiya entrance with over twenty armed guards behind her. Hanaoki had invited her inside, albeit hesitantly, and they spent the whole evening pretending to shed tears. Uchiha Mikoto held a pristine white handkerchief to her eyes while carefully explaining—with 'sobs' she fought to keep back—how it was entirely her fault that she invited Haruno Sakura-san to their manor to perform in her darling son's engagement party, and got her involved when foreign men inexplicably appeared in the dinner party and wounded over eight guests, including Haruno Sakura-san and her son's poor, sweet fiancée.

Hanaoki reacted to this story by pretending to wipe away tears of her own with a red, pattered hanky. They exchanged apologies over and over again while Sakura watched awkwardly at the background, holding her bandaged arms against her chest for the desired _dramatic effect, _as Mikoto had called it.

Sakura snickered in an unlady-like fashion, "I was trying so hard not to laugh last night. Mikoto-sama was such a talented actress,"

"Indeed," Tenten said, who had been serving tea to them last night. She had also witnessed the entire dramatic exchange, "She could put Ai's acting talents to shame,"

"I didn't know nobles could lie like that," Sakura laughed, remembering how Mikoto had winked discreetly to her as she exited the okiya while still dabbing her eyes with her white hanky.

"I think nobles aren't as goody-goody and well-mannered as they are known to be," Tenten grinned, "Except for the Hyuga heiress, that is. She's such a darling that she puts even angels to shame,"

Sakura had to agree. Hyuga Hinata's kindness and meek personality was certainly on a whole other level.

"Oh, and did you hear about her?" Tenten asked.

"About who?"

"About the heiress," Tenten replied, a hint of pity in her eyes, "Her father gave the position away to her little sister, Hanabi-sama,"

"What?" Sakura spluttered out, "Why?"

"Apparently, she wasn't 'worthy enough'," Tenten shrugged.

Everybody, noble and peasant, knew what kind of life the Hyuga heiress—or rather the former Hyuga heiress—led. Her father Hiashi was a revered perfectionist. Apparently, he expected his daughter to be the same, too. Hinata spent her whole childhood struggling for acknowledgement, with futile results. Her predicament kind of reminded Sakura of Sasuke. The birth of her little sister, Hanabi, didn't make things any better. Hiashi would constantly compare her to Hanabi, extinguishing what little self-confident she had. Now that he officially proclaimed Hanabi as the new heiress, everything that Hinata worked hard for was gone forever.

"Bullshit," Was the only thing Ino could say.

"Your language, Pig," Sakura pointed out, sipping on her tea.

"I can't believe this!" The blond Yamanaka flung out her arms in exasperation, hitting Sakura in the process.

"Let's talk about something else then," Sakura rolled her eyes, shoving Ino's arm away. "Did you hear more about the council members' decision?"

"The council members had a meeting again today," Ino informed her, "This time, they invited all the clan leaders of the prominent families here in the Land of Fire; the Hyuga, Nara, Akimichi, Inuzuka, all of them. Naturally, Daddy got invited too. It seemed that they found out why the Akatsuki attacked the village,"

Sakura raised a brow, "They were going after Itachi-sama, right?"

"Yes, that was included, but they had another agenda," Ino replied, "They weren't here to kill Sarutobi-sama after all. They simply tried to interrogate him, and when he refused to divulge any information, they bombed his home,"

"Information about what…?"

Ino shrugged, "It seemed kind of stupid, but they were looking for the Land of Fire's heir,"

Sakura was at loss, "They were looking for…Konohamaru-sama…?"

"No," Ino shook her head. "Sarutobi-sama retired years ago, right? And the one who replaced him was a man called Namikaze Minato, right?"

"Yes, of course I know Namikaze-sama," Sakura nodded. Minato Namikaze was a famous man, even people from other countries knew his name well. He was a compassionate and kind person, but had the strength and intelligence of an experienced warlord. He fought in a terrible war, leading the Land of Fire's army. He accomplished the victory he worked hard for, but he also lost his life in the process. He is the Land of Fire's hero. Sarutobi Hiruzen came back from retirement to rule the country after Namikaze's death, because Namikaze didn't have a child that could succeed him.

"Well, the Akatsuki claimed that they were looking for Namikaze-sama's child,"

Sakura raised both brows, her eyes widening, "Huh?"

"Stupid, right?" Ino shrugged, "Everybody knows Namikaze-sama wasn't married. He didn't have a son or daughter either. Heck, I've heard from Daddy that he never even dated anyone,"

"But why would the Akatsuki assume something like that?"

"They're all psychotic bastards," Ino sneered, "And besides, if Namikaze-sama had a child, he or she would have stepped right up to claim the throne a long time ago. And for sure, Sarutobi-sama would have known and raised the child himself. And Daddy told me Namikaze-sama didn't seem like the kind of man who would…uhm…engage in intimate stuff without going through marriage first,"

"Yes, Mother used to say he was a bit too meek for a boy," Sakura nodded.

Ino was silent for a while then said, "You think it's true? That he has a kid?"

"Maybe," Sakura shrugged, "Maybe the Akatsuki knows. And did the council confirm some kind of decision? Of who to leave the throne to?"

"The Hyuga and Uchiha are currently battling it out," Ino replied, "Fugaku-sama came back in time for the meeting. The council decided that until Asuma-sama agrees or after they find Tsunade-sama, one of the most powerful clan leaders should temporarily take hold of the throne for a while, and everyone knows that the Hyuga and Uchiha are the top dogs here,"

Sakura didn't know what to think. It was either Sasuke's shady father or Hinata's perfectionist dad. Both didn't seem like good choices. She'd rather have Ino's dad lead the nation. He was a kind and fair man, and a bad person couldn't have raised a nice daughter like Ino.

"They're also investigating the case about Namikaze-sama," Ino replied, "They're wondering why the Akatsuki would want his kid, if he even has one,"

"Maybe they're looking for something, like a secret legacy buried beneath Namikaze-sama's family,"

"Could be," Ino agreed, "Anyway, there are a million possibilities,"

When the clock ticked eight, Ino excused herself. Sakura accompanied her out of the door and waited until her carriage disappeared into the distance. Ino had promised to fill her in on the status of the nation as soon as she acquired more information. The pink-haired girl wrapped her arms around her slim figure to ward off the cold, somehow feeling that there was something ominous in the air tonight.

Several blocks away, a blond haired boy with bright cerulean eyes lay wide-awake on his bed, for some reason, unable to sleep.

* * *

_A/N: So...uhm..hi there guys. This chapter has been sitting on my laptop for a few months now. I was actually planning on editing it some more but I received so much messages saying that I have to update NOWWW so here! ^_^ I hope you like it :) _

_So the lack of SasuSaku is probably making some of you impatient, but I'm no good when it comes to writing romance stories (which doesn't explain why I write a ton of them anyway) and I wanted to put Naruto's role in action. In some SasuSaku centered fanfics I've read, Naruto's either the bestfriend or the third wheel guy, but in this fic he has a bigger role :D _


	10. Half Life

**Chapter 10: Half Life**

Sakura didn't know just what in the name of the Leaf he was thinking, but it was definitely stupid and careless enough for him to just come waltzing outside the okiya and throwing a pebble on her glass window. When she pushed open the velvet curtains to yell obscene things at the person who was blatantly making fun of her and disturbing her beauty sleep (which she desperately needed after a particularly hard week) she stopped mid-yell when she spotted pale skin, dark hair, and black obsidian eyes that seemed to smolder under the yellow light of nearby street lamps.

With a gasp, she nearly flung herself towards her wardrobe to search for her coat (she had no time to put on her wrappings) and dashed as quietly as she could to the okiya entrance. He was waiting patiently at a corner.

"Are you insane?" She hissed as loud as she dared. "What are you doing here, Sasuke-kun?"

The young Uchiha merely stepped out of the shadows and into the light and regarded her with mild amusement, "You look well,"

Sakura rolled her eyes. Her hair closely resembled a crow's nest and she was wearing a thin white under-robe underneath a thick tan coat. There were probably dried drool-stains on her chin and dark bags under her eyes. For some reason, the dishevelled state of her appearance bugged her more than the possibility that Hanaoki might catch her.

"What are you going here?" She hissed at him again.

He only shrugged, "I couldn't sleep,"

"That's it? You came all the way here to disturb my beauty sleep and risk the possibility of Hanaoki beating me just because you couldn't sleep?" Sakura wasn't much of a waking-up person, and despite the fact that she was always nice to Sasuke, she just didn't feel like acting all goody-goody when all she wanted to do was go back to sleep and get out of the damn cold. She hissed and stomped her foot and pointed at him with her index finger with the poise and grace of a drunken sailor.

"Sakura, have you been building a lot of stress lately…?"

The pink-haired girl merely slumped against the lamppost in response. "No. Leave me alone. I want to go to sleep,"

"Since when do you treat me this way?" Sasuke raised a brow, reaching forward to tug on her coat. "Let's go for a walk,"

"I want to sleep," She grumbled, uncharacteristically slapping his hand away.

But he was staring at her like a child begging for candy, and it was so un-Sasuke like that she found it hard to refuse. The next thing she knew, they were walking around the park, the brightest spot in the entire village at the moment. It was a circular space made up entirely of red and brown bricks, surrounded by lampposts, looking almost like a pavilion. Fireflies were flying around the park, looking a lot like stars dipping close to the ground. It was a lovely night, but all Sakura could think of was how unbearably cold it was out here and how wonderfully warm it was back in her bed.

"You're shivering," Sasuke remarked.

"Of course I am," Sakura muttered, wrapping her arms around herself, "I'm only wearing an under robe beneath this coat,"

"Why didn't you put on something warmer, then?"

"Because I didn't know I would be walking around the park in the middle of a _freezing _night," Sakura countered, rubbing her hands against her upper arms to warm herself. "And I was in a hurry. I sort of panicked when you started throwing stones at my window. Honestly though, boys only do that when they want to proclaim their love,"

She flashed him a crooked, teasing grin, "Are you going to proclaim your love, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke snorted, "Hardly,"

But he removed his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

"Why did you disturb me, then?" Sakura asked, rolling her bright green eyes. She slid her arms inside the sleeves of his coat and hugged herself again.

"Father's back," Sasuke shrugged, kicking a pebble. It skittered away and landed at the side of a lamppost, "I've been out the whole time since he arrived, and I don't feel like going back right now,"

"I heard that he's battling it out with Hyuga for the throne. Did you know?"

"I did," Sasuke replied, "Nara Shikamaru told me,"

"Nara Shikamaru…" Sakura repeated thoughtfully, "I met him at your brother's party,"

"So what did you think? Of him, I mean,"

"He seemed like a very intellectual person," Sakura replied, envisioning the face of the brown-haired boy in her head, "He seemed kind of laid back, the kind of person that doesn't enjoy drama or controversies. He seems like the type of guy that would do his best to avoid fights instead of causing them, and also, I think he dislikes women,"

Sasuke raised a brow, "Your ideas are fairly accurate. Are you sure you haven't met him before…?"

Sakura shook her head, "That was just the impression he gave me,"

"So I take it that you think he's a fine person?"

"Yes," Sakura nodded.

"That's good, then," Sasuke replied, "Because they had another meeting just two hours ago, because one of the elders proposed an idea. She said that she wanted the Nara clan head to take the position of the temporary ruler,"

Sakura looked surprised, "They're assigning the Nara?"

Sasuke nodded, "Shikamaru was appointed as the clan head a few months ago, so basically, he's going to be the new ruler,"

"Wow, really?" Sakura remarked, "Why'd his father retire early…?"

"Because his senses were dulling with the passage of time, and that the clan needed a newer, younger head to continue leading the clan,"

Sakura looked impressed.

But Sasuke only looked amused, "Just kidding. That's what Shikaku-sama said to everyone, but in reality, I think he just wants to retire so he can spend his days sleeping and playing shogi,"

Sakura frowned, her ideals crushed completely. "That wasn't inspiring at all,"

"Shikamaru wasn't too happy, though," Sasuke said, "He never wanted to lead the clan or the country. In fact, he never really wanted responsibility at all. He just likes lying on his back and looking at the clouds,"

"That's going to be our new ruler?" Sakura said, her palm making contact with her forehead.

"He's a great person though, you agreed to that yourself," Sasuke pointed out, "And he's intelligent, albeit a little lazy, but I still think he's better than my Father as a ruler, don't you think? If I'm going to trust anyone in this damn city with all that power and control, then it would definitely be someone like Shikamaru,"

"And also," He continued, "I'm surprised you only met him once. He's close with your best friend, that blonde Yamanaka,"

Sakura was surprised, "She never mentioned him,"

"That isn't too surprising," Sasuke remarked casually, flicking a small leaf from his shoulder.

Before she could ask what he meant, he told her that he was feeling tired and that he felt like going home already. He walked her all the way back to the okiya, giving her a small wave as she went in. Upon reaching her room, Sakura realized he forgot his coat. She took it off, folding it neatly, and hiding it at the deepest recesses of her closet. Nobody else, not even Hanaoki, opens her closet, but it was better to be safe. She hung her own tan coat on the foot of the bed before lying down.

The warm silk warmed her toes and fingers, and the cold feeling slowly ebbed away. The freezing howling wind outside reminded her of the biting cold during that fateful night when the Akatsuki attacked. Things that meant close to nothing back then reminded her of so many things in present time. The cold, which only used to be an annoyance to her, reminded her of the numb feeling that seeped into her skin that night. The colour violet, which only used to be a pretty sight to her back then, now reminded her of Nadeshiko Shimura's fear-filled eyes.

A casual evening stroll reminded her of the pain in her feet as she struggled to run on the rough streets, fighting back cold and fatigue and her own fear, all the while holding on to Nadeshiko's soft, trembling hands. As ironic as it seemed, Sasuke's cold icy demeanor seemed to melt off the stinging fear, and nothing else aside from his stoic presence by her side made her feel braver than she really was.

* * *

The Leaf Village festivals were always happy and noisy and colourful, and that was precisely why Sasuke hated them so much, which didn't make sense, because both of his bestfriends were colourful (Sakura's pink hair, Naruto's blue eyes) and noisy (he was tired of their countless yapping) and they were always ridiculously happy. He really did wonder why he even bothered to hang out with people who were nothing like him.

As usual, in the morning on the day of the festival, Naruto waltzed into his house wearing a fancy robe in an obnoxious shade of neon orange. He tossed another robe to Sasuke, and it landed on top of his head.

"This is just like you, Sasuke," Naruto sneered, "Acting like a stupid chunk of ice on such a happy day,"

"I have no time for your stupidity, Naruto," Sasuke snapped, tossing the robe back at him, cringing at the colour in the process. Seriously. Baby blue. Naruto wanted him to wear a baby blue coloured robe.

"We always hang out during festivals!" Naruto said, stomping his feet indignantly.

"And that's why I hate myself," Sasuke grumbled before shoving his parchment paper and quill away. "Fine, you moron. But I'm not wearing that ugly thing,"

Naruto pumped his fist in the air in a triumphant fashion. The next thing Sasuke knew, he was walking around the noisy city, enjoying the festival. Well, Naruto was the only one enjoying anything, to be frank. All Sasuke did was glare at everything and everyone. As usual, the attention he received from various females was impressive. He usually ignored them like the nonexistent beings they are (in his world, anyway) but this time he found himself scanning the crowd, looking for a trace of pink and green. Instead, blue and yellow flooded his vision.

He pushed Naruto's face away, "What are you doing, idiot?"

"You're spacing out," Naruto remarked, "I was talking to you,"

"I didn't hear. What did you say?"

"I was asking if that guy looks familiar to you," Naruto pointed at someone.

Sasuke's eyes followed the tip of his finger, and saw who he was pointing to. Really, the person wasn't that hard to miss.

He was a large man, standing at least a foot taller than anyone else around him. He was wearing a gray and red robe, and was munching on what looked like a huge Takoyaki on a stick. He was talking to a handful of girls, who were laughing at something he just said. The last time Sasuke saw him, he was younger and a bit shorter, and still mourning over the loss of his protégé.

"That's Jiraiya-sama," Sasuke informed Naruto.

"Really?" Naruto's eyes widened. "Wasn't he on a long trip?"

"Maybe he went back to visit Lord Sarutobi's grave," Sasuke replied, handing a girl a few coins. He took two sticks of Takoyaki and handed one to Naruto, who munched on it eagerly as soon as he got it.

Jiraiya was the late Sarutobi Hiruzen's protégé. He was a strong, kind man (or so he says) but according to everyone else, he was an old pervert who liked writing and reading raunchy novels. He was the one who took care of Namikaze Minato during most of his childhood. Namikaze was a bit like his son and student and little brother and bestfriend, all at the same time, so others could only imagine what kind of pain the man went through after Namikaze's death. Jiraiya mourned for months. Eyebogs appeared underneath his eyes and he seemed to grow older and older with each passing day. Soon after that, he left the village and never came back once until now. He seemed to have recovered from his depression, and he looked fairly younger and happier and more like his old self.

"I was only six when I last saw him," Sasuke said, as Naruto watched with curious blue eyes. "He left around after my sixth birthday,"

Jiraiya let out a loud laugh, causing the others around him to laugh along with him. Naruto stared at him, something stirring in his bright cerulean eyes. Jiraiya spotted them and stared long enough, eyes lingering on Naruto before going back to his apparently hilarious conversation with the girls. Naruto didn't seem to notice, but Sasuke did, and he was wondering why Jiraiya smiled slightly when he saw Naruto.

* * *

"See you soon, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura waved jauntily at the handsome, brown-haired boy who waved back at her before exiting the teahouse. He was one of her long-time customers, and one of the very few ones that she actually cared about. At first, he came to her as a heartbroken puppy, asking for acceptance and compassion and acknowledgement. Eventually, he started going to her for love advice, and even after he found himself a new lover, he kept coming back to Sakura, not to ask for affection or compassion, but just to chat with her and tell her all about his day. Unknowingly, she made a friend.

"Haruno-san, you have a new guest," A servant girl called out.

Sakura immediately put on her fake, charming smile as the new customer went in. He was a tall, large man with thick white hair and a joyful face.

"Jiraiya-sama," She addressed, giving him a low bow.

"I'm surprised you know me," He laughed heartily.

"I read all about you in my books," She replied bluntly. It was certainly strange for a girl like her to read books and have an interest in the private affairs of the nation. While most people found this rather unladylike and strange, some of the men she catered to actually found it charming and endearing. Her intellectual side was her way saying 'I may be using my looks to earn a living, but I'm most likely still smarter than you'.

It wasn't her first time catering a well-known person, but she was still intrigued.

"Well, you're certainly not just some geisha, are you?" Jiraiya remarked, a trace of respect in his eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about," She replied with a smile as she poured them both some tea.

"What should I call you?"

"Sakura," She replied primly.

"Sakura-chan it is, then,"

It wasn't just the name he used for her. There was something else about him that reminded her of Naruto, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. It was for this reason that her smile melted into a sincere, almost fond one.

"What brought you back to the Leaf, Jiraiya-sama?" She asked, making it sound like she was just looking for a topic to start a conversation, when she was actually trying to learn as much as she could. If she was lucky, she might be even able to ask about Namikaze Minato, but it might be tricky. People never really did like talking about things that brought back painful memories.

"My old man died, I'm sure you know that," Jiraiya replied, "Well, I wasn't really talking about my dad. I was talking about old man Sarutobi,"

"Did you attend the council meetings, too?"

"I didn't," He replied, emptying his cup with one gulp, "As much as I care about Sarutobi-sama, I don't really care who leads this country,"

_Of course you don't, _Sakura thought. That position took his master's life, and at the same time, his protégé's. She was sure that a part of Jiraiya, if not all, blamed the position of Lord of the Land of Fire as the reason for the death of Sarutobi and Namikaze. It only makes sense that he doesn't want to have anything to do with the nation's royal affairs anymore.

"Great power comes with great responsibility," Sakura quoted, "They served the country well. Their birthdays are celebrated as festivals. Their death days are mourned by the entire nation. They are important people. Children of the now, and children in generations to come, will know them as heroes. They'll be recognized for the amazing people that they are. They won't be forgotten,"

Jiraiya chuckled mirthfully, "And it was their choice to risk everything for the country,"

Sakura nodded, "Exactly,"

For the rest of the hour, Jiraiya did most of the talking. He talked about his adventures, the gorgeous women he met, the books he wrote, the crazy fans who tackled him randomly at the street, and the females who would lob him with buckets, rocks, or anything else for that matter, for writing such 'disrespectful' books (he pouted like a child as he said this, refusing to accept that anything he writes is nothing short of magnificent and state of the art). Sakura kept refilling his teacup, nodding primly from time to time, and laughing and giving short replies to whatever he was saying.

Just as he was in the middle of his story about his amazing escapades in the Waterfall village's famous bathhouse, a servant girl appeared to tell them that the teahouse was closing.

"Being in your company was enjoyable, Jiraiya-sama," Sakura said, meaning it. She had never laughed so much in just one hour before.

The festivities outside were still in full bloom. It seemed like the festival has just began. Sakura was glad she brought along a plain kimono; the plainness made it easier for her to slip around without drawing as much attention as she would have in her geisha garb. The Land of Fire was a huge nation, with the Leaf village as its capital. Festivals are one of the very few times that citizens from other places in the Land of Fire (like the Waterfall village) could mingle with those from the Leaf. The size of their nation made the bonds between villages quite weak.

Spotting Sasuke would normally be hard, considering how bland he was. With his pale skin, black hair and dark clothes, he might as well be black and white. Fortunately, he was lugging around a hurricane of bright yellow and blue.

"Back off, teme, I got this," Naruto announced loud enough for Sakura to hear, who was standing meters away from them.

Upon closer inspection, she saw that they were standing in front of a shooting game booth. Sasuke was standing behind him, looking alternately mildly amused (at Naruto) and very annoyed (at the girls surrounding him). Naruto was holding what appeared to be a long wooden arrow, and he was aiming it at the booth. The prize was a very lovely necklace with a delicate silver chain holding up a lavender gemstone.

Sakura wondered why Naruto would want a necklace like that, until she spotted a petite young lady standing a few yards away from them.

Hyuga Hinata was wearing a dark-purple kimono and her hair was pulled up into a slightly messy bun to fit the occasion. She was looking unsurely at the blond in front of her, "Um…excuse me, it's quite alright, really, you don't have to go through all the trouble…"

"This is no trouble!" Naruto exclaimed, still aiming at the wooden targets.

_So he's trying to impress a lady, _Sakura grinned and folded her arms across her chest, curiously watching the scene unfold. He fired two misses, but the third one was a direct hit. The girl managing the booth gladly handed him the necklace, and he in turn handed it to the former Hyuga heiress who looked very pleased.

"Thank you," She gave him a low bow and a small smile.

A few feet away from them, another Hyuga, albeit one with a disapproving frown, was standing and watching them. Sakura recognized him as Hinata's older cousin, Hyuga Neji. He wasn't exactly glaring, but he was giving Naruto an odd look as if he's just waiting for one wrong move from him before he steps in and rips off his eyebrows. Thankfully, Naruto brought along his manners with him and bowed back to the Hyuga girl who walked back to her male cousin, showing him the necklace. He smiled politely at her and offered to put it around her neck. Before they left, Hinata gave Naruto one more thankful smile (while her cousin gave him one last warning glare).

Sasuke smirked, apparently amused, "Neji doesn't seem to like you very much,"

"What's his problem?" Naruto pouted, squinting his eyes as he stared at the cousins' retreating backs, "He's being way too overprotective,"

"You can't blame him," Sasuke put in, "With everything that recently happened to his cousin, of course he doesn't want anyone else to hurt her,"

"He's a nice guy," Sakura said, suddenly appearing in front of them.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto immediately grinned, "Did you see what I did?"

"Yes," Sakura laughed, "Good job, Naruto. It looked like you made her very happy,"

Naruto scratched the back of his head in a bashful manner. "I guess I did, didn't I?"

"Don't get too full of yourself, dobe, I was the one who taught you how to shoot,"

"Yeah, and you basically sucked at it,"

"Says the one who shot his own foot. Be thankful we weren't using real arrows,"

The trio walked around the village, visiting various booths. Sasuke, who offered to get something for Sakura, got shot down. He stared at her, unconvinced, "Are you sure?"

"Of course," She smiled at him and aimed. It was a perfect hit.

After successfully lowering the Uchiha's manly pride and winning herself a brand new hair ornament, she dragged the two boys around until they were practically begging to sit down. She obliged, and soon, they found themselves lying side by side on the soft green grass near the park, watching the stars spread out across the dark sky. Sasuke and Sakura traced the air in front of them with their fingertips, trying to show Naruto how to see the constellations. Naruto never had a mother who could lie down with him on a clear night like this to teach him that, so the two were determined to show him. When the first traces of snow fell from the sky, Sakura and Naruto both practically jumped up and down while Sasuke watched with mild amusement.

"Naruto," Sakura started to say when they calmed down, "What does the sign on the back of your coat mean?"

"It's the symbol of my clan, Sakura-chan," Naruto replied, absentmindedly tugging on the edges of his shirt.

"It's shaped like a whirlpool," Sakura remarked.

"Uzumaki means whirlpool," Naruto replied, giving her a strange look.

"I know that," She said patiently, "Your mother was from Whirlpool, right? I was wondering why you're using her clan name instead of your dad's,"

"He doesn't know who his dad is," Sasuke told her.

"You already told me that," Sakura pointed out, "I was just wondering—I mean—no one ever knows who your dad was? That seems kind of impossible,"

Naruto shrugged, "I have no one to ask, and if someone knew my dad, they'd have told me by now. I've been looking all over the place for clues to their identities, but still…nothing. No one knows anything,"

Sakura tipped her head to the side, confused, "And your mom?"

"No clue," Naruto shook his head, "All I know is that she was from Whirlpool, and her last name was Uzumaki,"

"She's dead cause of childbirth, right?"

Naruto nodded.

"How about her hair color? Or eye color?" Sakura pressed, unable to accept this. He knew nothing about his own parents. How can that be? She found it unbearably cruel.

Naruto shrugged, as if to say no.

"They probably weren't very important people," He said thoughtfully, "Cause if they were, people would immediately recognize me. My guess is, they were probably commoners, like me," He looked down at the palm of his hands and said, "Over the years I built my own version of what they would have been like,"

Naruto sat up and started forming random shapes in the air as he described his parents, "My Dad probably had shiny black hair and his eyes were probably blue, like mine. He must have been very loud and annoying and liked to annoy his best friend, too. I'm also sure that my Mom had very pretty blond hair and green eyes like yours, Sakura-chan. She must have been very sweet and meek and gentle like Hyuga Hinata, too,"

"And they fell in love because everyone else bullied her when she arrived from Whirlpool and your dad defended her," Sakura cut in, grinning.

"Yes!" Naruto grinned back at her, "They probably didn't get along well at first because Mom was so shy and quiet and Dad was loud like me!"

"And your Mom would have liked me better than you," Sasuke smirked, joining in.

"Hey!" Naruto slapped his shoulder, "Mom would have preferred a nice guy like me to a frigid ice-berg like you,"

The sad atmosphere started to dissipate, replaced instead by loud laughs and silent smirks. They had to take the long way home because Naruto outright complained that "Why do you always walk Sakura-chan home and not me?" and they had to pass Naruto's apartment first to stop him from making a ruckus. Sasuke walked Sakura home next, and he was seemingly oblivious to the fact that she had looped her arm around his, and he tried to ignore how she widely she was grinning. They arrived at the okiya right in the middle of her explaining her plan of making a snowman with a duck-butt shaped head and naming it 'Sasuke-kun'. Sasuke mentally slapped his head, wondering why he even bothered.

The next thing he knew, her arms were around him and she was still laughing. He awkwardly hugged her back, unsure of what to feel, and she skipped merrily towards the okiya before he could say anything. When he got back home, the first thing he heard was Itachi asking him why he smelled oddly of cherry blossoms, and he replied by staring at the wooden floor as determinedly as he could.

Naruto slept well for the first time in weeks, with images of a black haired man and a lovely blond haired woman in his head. But for some odd reason, when he finally succumbed to sleepiness, he dreamt of a blond-haired man and a beautiful red-haired woman instead.

* * *

_A/N: A happy chapter to make up for the serious ones xD And yeah, it seems like a filler but it's not xD _


End file.
